SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Sacramento Kings and general manager Monte McNair have agreed to part ways, two years after McNair helped end the longest playoff drought in NBA history.
The two sides reached the decision shortly after the Kings’ season ended Wednesday night with a 120-106 loss to Dallas in the play-in tournament and the team announced it on Wednesday.
"I want to sincerely thank Monte for his leadership and the invaluable contributions he made during his time in Sacramento,” owner Vivek Ranadivé said in a statement. “He helped build a strong foundation for continued success here, and we wish him and his family all the best in their future endeavors.”
Ranadivé immediately found a replacement, hiring former New York Knicks general manager Scott Perry for the role, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because a deal hadn't been announced. Perry spent three months in the Kings' front office in 2017 before being hired by the Knicks.
McNair was hired by Sacramento before the start of the 2020-21 season and helped put together the team that ended a 16-season playoff drought in 2023 when it went 48-34 to finish third in the Western Conference. McNair won NBA Executive of the Year in 2022-23.
The Kings lost a first-round series to the Golden State Warriors in seven games that season and weren’t able to make it back to the playoffs the past two seasons, losing in the Play-In Tournament each season.
McNair said in a statement on social media that he was grateful that Ranadivé gave him “the opportunity of a lifetime.”
“The Beam Team brought so much joy to so many,” he said. “Thank you to the players, coaches, and staff who played such a vital role in creating those special moments and memories. To the Sacramento community — thank you for welcoming and embracing me and my family. We arrived as a family of four and leave as a family of six. As a California kid, this truly felt like a dream homecoming. To Kings fans — you’re simply the best. I’ll never forget the deafening roar before Game 1 or the countless other unforgettable moments we shared. There will be many more beams in the Kings’ future.”
Sacramento won at least 40 games in each of the past three seasons after failing to do that even once in the previous 16 seasons but the Kings weren’t able to take the next step to be a contender in the Western Conference.
This past season was a big step back as the team fired coach Mike Brown in December, traded star De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio in February and finished in ninth place in the conference with a 40-42 record.
It bottomed out with the blowout loss at home to the Mavericks on Wednesday night and then the quick change was made at GM.
The Kings had a 195-205 record with McNair in charge. Under his leadership, Sacramento made a key trade in 2022 to acquire star center Domantas Sabonis from Indiana for Tyrese Haliburton, signed Malik Monk as a free agent, drafted Keegan Murray and made the three-team trade this season that sent Fox to San Antonio and sent Zach LaVine to Sacramento.
Sacramento also must make a decision soon on whether to bring back interim coach Doug Christie, who went 27-24 in the regular season after taking over for Brown.
Christie said before the news about McNair became public that he had been given no indication of his job status.
“But this is where I want to be,” he said. “You guys know that. I need to finish what I started.”
The new general manager will be the fifth lead executive since owner Vivek Ranadive took over the team in 2013. The Kings have gone through nine coaches in that span — including interims — and have the fifth worst record in the NBA.
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FILE - Sacramento Kings General Manager Monte McNair poses for a photo during the NBA basketball team's media day in Sacramento, Calif., on Sept. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department said Wednesday it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia, whose nationals the Trump administration has deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States.
The State Department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the countries affected in accordance with a broader order issued in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become “public charges” in the U.S.
The suspension, which will begin Jan. 21, will not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, or temporary tourist or business visas, who make up the vast majority of visa seekers. Demand for non-immigrant visas is expected to rise dramatically in the coming months and years due to the upcoming 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics both of which the U.S. will host or co-host.
“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” the department said in a statement. “Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”
President Donald Trump's administration has already severely restricted immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing for citizens of dozens of countries, many of them in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The November guidance on which Wednesday's decision is based directed U.S. Embassy and consulate officials to comprehensively and thoroughly vet visa applicants to demonstrate that they will not need to rely on public benefits from the government any time after their admission in the U.S.
While federal law already required those seeking permanent residency or legal status to prove they wouldn’t be a public charge, Trump in his first term widened the range of benefit programs that could disqualify applicants, and the guidelines in the cable appear to go further in scope.
Immigrants seeking entry into the U.S. already undergo a medical exam by a physician who’s been approved by a U.S. Embassy. They are screened for communicable diseases, like tuberculosis, and asked to disclose any history of drug or alcohol use, mental health conditions or violence. They’re also required to have a number of vaccinations.
The new directive expanded those with more specific requirements. It said consular officials must consider a range of specific details about people seeking visas, including their age, health, family status, finances, education, skills and any past use of public assistance regardless of the country. It also said they should assess applicants’ English proficiency and can do so by conducting interviews in English.
Experts said at the time it could further limit who gets to enter the country at a time when the Republican administration is already tightening those rules.
The countries affected by the suspension announced on Wednesday are:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
Workers fly the Cuban flag at half-mast at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune near the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in memory of Cubans who died two days before in Caracas, Venezuela during the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Cubans line up for appointments at the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio makes a statement to reporters while meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
