ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Not even two years ago, Rick Carlisle publicly lauded Mike Brown for the job he did on the way to winning the NBA's coach of the year award.
And on Friday, Carlisle was among a slew of coaches reacting with dismay — some even with anger — that Brown was fired.
Click to Gallery
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in New York. The Knicks won 139-125. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley reacts as his team plays the Miami Heat during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Kevin Kolczynski)
Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle reacts after a foul call during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Sacramento Kings center Isaac Jones is greeted by Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. The Nuggets won 130-129. (AP Photo/Randall Benton)
The Sacramento Kings dismissed Brown on Friday, with the team off to a 13-18 start this season and mired toward the bottom of the Western Conference — despite back-to-back winning seasons, something that franchise hadn't managed in nearly two decades.
“The firing of Mike Brown today was just shocking to me and I’m sure all the people in our profession — men and women,” said Carlisle, the Indiana Pacers coach and longtime president of the National Basketball Coaches Association. “I had the privilege of working with Mike when I was in Indiana coaching the first time. I view him as one of the standard bearers for integrity for our profession. And I’m just absolutely shocked that that decision was made.”
Carlisle — who offered those sentiments, unprompted, to open his pregame media session before the Pacers visited Boston on Friday night — wasn't alone on that front.
Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone — who was fired by Sacramento owner Vivek Ranadive in December 2014, and Brown was the sixth coach to hold that job in the decade since Malone’s departure — did not hold back in his reaction to the news, saying the firing was done with “no class.”
“As an NBA head coach, ultimately, you’re going to get the blame,” Malone said. “When they win, it’s going to go to (Domantas) Sabonis and (De’Aaron) Fox. When you lose, it’s going to go to Mike Brown. That’s the way it works.”
Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said coaches understand that the job is often thankless, and that when a team underachieves there's a risk of firings. He said it's not his place to discuss another team's decision-making — but made clear what he thinks of Brown as a coach and as a person.
“He compiled a record of 107-88 while he was there," Mosley said. “He changed a bit of that culture in what he was doing. And I say these things not as a fellow coach. I say this as a close friend. He’s been a mentor of mine. And I know how good he is, and I know how he cares, and I know how he’s helped pave the way for so many of us that are in this game right now.”
Brown was the unanimous winner of the NBA's coach of the year award in 2022-23, after his first season in Sacramento saw the Kings make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. All 100 voters from a panel of reporters and broadcasters had Brown atop their ballot that year.
Less than two years later, he was gone.
“You hate to see it," said New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who, like Brown, is a two-time NBA coach of the year. "You know, it’s part of what we go through. Mike's a terrific person and a great coach. It's unfortunate.”
Golden State coach Steve Kerr said he understands that the Kings were struggling of late, but still expressed disappointment that Brown — his former assistant and a longtime close friend — was let go.
“We all kind of know, this is the nature of the business,” Kerr said. “It just seems so shocking when a guy’s the unanimous coach of the year a year and a half ago and when you think about where that franchise was before Mike got there ... really shocking.”
The change in Sacramento is the ninth head-coaching change in the NBA in 2024 alone — and the 300th in the NBA since Gregg Popovich, the league's longest-tenured current coach, became coach in San Antonio in 1996. Popovich is currently away from the Spurs while recovering from a stroke.
Brown has had four different jobs in that span — he was head coach in Cleveland, then head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, then returned to Cleveland, and until Friday had the job in Sacramento.
“He’ll certainly land on his feet,” Carlisle said. "But if you look at the job that he did and the turnaround that he had, it’s just really hard to believe that this decision was made. But teams have the right to do things like this, obviously. It’s their decision. But Mike’s a great man and a great basketball man. Really one of the pillars of our profession. Anyway. Onward.”
AP Sports Writer Kyle Hightower in Boston contributed.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in New York. The Knicks won 139-125. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley reacts as his team plays the Miami Heat during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Kevin Kolczynski)
Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle reacts after a foul call during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Sacramento Kings center Isaac Jones is greeted by Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. The Nuggets won 130-129. (AP Photo/Randall Benton)
TAMBACOUNDA, Senegal (AP) — On a blazing afternoon in Senegal, 33-year-old farmer Filly Mangassa heaved peanut plants onto a horse-drawn cart, sending clouds of dust swirling.
Ten years ago, he left his village for the capital, Dakar, dreaming of becoming a professor. But the high cost of living and lack of jobs put that dream out of reach.
“Particularly after COVID, companies weren't hiring and prices were rising,” said Mangassa, who has a masters degree in criminology. “I thought: My father and my grandfather were farmers, so why not use that experience and go back to my hometown and try to make a living in agriculture.”
Across much of Africa, farming has long been seen as low-status work, pushing young people to cities in search of office jobs.
“For my father and some people in my family, they sort of saw me returning to the countryside as a step back,” Mangassa said.
But that perception is changing. Rising food prices, investments in irrigation and access to new technologies are making agriculture more profitable. Governments and nonprofits now fund programs that teach advanced farming skills and support farmers with equipment, fertilizers, pesticides and seeds.
“When my father saw that I had a clear, thorough business plan, he encouraged me and helped me with the administrative process to acquire land,” Mangassa said.
He is part of a trend of young Africans leaving cities to try their luck at farming. Mangassa says he makes a profit of around 2 million CFA ($3,500 a year), far above Senegal's average yearly income of about $2,500.
Africa is the world’s fastest-urbanizing region, with cities growing at an average rate of 3.5% per year. As city populations increase, so does the cost of living.
Median rents and grocery prices in places like Dakar or Kenya’s capital of Nairobi are approaching those of major European cities, despite median salaries being significantly lower, according to the World Bank.
Meanwhile, between 10 and 12 million young Africans enter the job market each year while only about 3 million formal jobs are created, according to the African Development Bank.
“A lot of my friends who graduated at the same time as me now work as motorcycle taxi drivers and barely make a living,” Mangassa said.
Mangassa now owns a 32-acre farm where he grows peanuts, corn, vegetables and fruit. He received some funding to buy land from a World Food Program initiative helping young Africans start careers in agriculture.
Launched in 2023 and set to run through early 2027, it has supported around 380,000 people in launching agricultural businesses.
It works with local governments to allow young farmers to acquire land — often a challenge because of complex ownership systems and young people's difficulty in obtaining loans because they are seen as high risk.
In Senegal, the program has supported over 61,000 people, with more than 80% launching farms, according to WFP. It also operates in Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania.
“Our surveys show three main barriers for young people entering agriculture: limited access to land, financing and inputs; a lack of practical skills; and tough market conditions — knowing when to sell, how to add value and how to market their products,” said WFP’s country director for Senegal, Pierre Lucas.
Senegal, like many African countries, is plagued by food insecurity that has been exacerbated by donors' funding cuts and worsening climate conditions.
The region also is recovering from the colonial era, said Ibrahima Hathie, an agricultural economist at the Senegal-based Prospective Agricultural and Rural Initiative think tank.
“In Senegal for example, farmers were pressured to grow groundnuts to be sold in France instead of food crops," Hathie said.
Scarce arable land and soil degradation further constrain food production.
But now, many young farmers are shifting to high-value crops and have better technology, so production is increasing, Hathie said, predicting that as more locally produced food enters markets, staple prices could fall.
Senegal is a main departure point for migrants attempting to reach Europe via the deadly Atlantic route. Authorities see agriculture as one way to create jobs to keep young people at home, launching campaigns in rural areas most affected by migration.
“I’m convinced that the only sector that can create the hundreds of thousands of jobs young people in Africa need is agriculture and livestock,” Senegal’s agriculture minister, Mabouba Diagne, told reporters in October.
Adama Sane, 24, once dreamed of reaching Europe but didn't have money to pay smugglers. He had moved to Dakar in 2020 but struggled to make ends meet as a construction worker. Then he heard about the WFP initiative.
“In a sense, discovering agriculture saved my life,” Sane said. “If I had stayed in my construction job, I would have tried crossing the ocean sooner or later.”
He now raises poultry and cultivates peppers on his five-acre farm in his village.
“I am still far from where I want to be with my business, but at least I am saving a lot of money compared to the city, and life is less stressful,” Sane said. “A lot of young people think that being a farmer is a ‘small job,’ but there is starting to be a public awakening that agriculture can be the key to development in Senegal."
Three other potential migrants are now working for Mangassa.
Mamadou Camara, 22, Issa Traoré, 22, and Madassa Kebe, 23, had been living in Mali's capital, Bamako, struggling to find work. Their families had helped them raise money for the Atlantic journey to Europe via Guinea-Bissau, but they said a smuggler there disappeared with it.
They decided to return home through Senegal, where they met Mangassa.
“I empathized with them because I know what it’s like to work hard and still not make ends meet while your family depends on you,” Mangassa said. “I wanted to show them that there are opportunities for young people here.”
For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse
The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Filly Mangassa, who is part of a growing trend of young Africans moving to rural areas for better work opportunities, stands in a field in Tambacounda, Senegal, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Banchereau)
Mamadou Camara, who moved from Mali to Senegal pursue farming, stacks peanut plants on a cart on a farm in Tambacounda, Senegal, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Banchereau)
Issa Traore, left, Mamadou Camara, center, and Madassa Kebe, who moved from Mali to Senegal to pursue farming, sit on a scooter on a farm in Tambacounda, Senegal, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Banchereau)
Issa Traore, center, and Madassa Kebe, right, carry peanut plants on a farm in Tambacounda, Senegal, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Banchereau)
Filly Mangassa, left, and Mamadou Camara, who are part of a growing trend of young Africans moving to rural areas for better work opportunities, throw peanut plants on a pile on a farm in Tambacounda, Senegal, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Banchereau)
