In a fiery response to his team’s lackluster performance, Kings head coach Doug Christie did not hold back following their crushing defeat on Wednesday. The Sacramento squad suffered a 133-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, a match that left Christie visibly displeased.

Now in his first full season as head coach after stepping up from an interim role last year, Christie was candid about his disappointment. He criticized his players for what he described as a “shameful compete level,” urging them to remember their professional commitments.

“You’re professionals,” Christie remarked during the postgame press conference. “You signed up for this. This league is hard. With that being said, this is only game 12. There’s a lot of basketball to be played. You’ve demonstrated that you can do this,” he added, emphasizing the season’s long road ahead and the potential he sees in his team.

During the game, Sacramento struggled offensively, managing a mere 39.1 percent shooting from the field. This disappointing performance came against an Atlanta team missing their star, Trae Young, who is sidelined with an MCL sprain.

Christie expressed his belief that the Kings must fight their way out of the current four-game losing streak. This skid includes losses to the Thunder, Timberwolves, and Nuggets, teams that were all Western Conference playoff contenders last season. Christie is hopeful for a turnaround, but his message was clear: the team needs to rise to the challenge.

“But ain’t nobody checking for that. You’re going to have to play your way out of it. Period. If you’ve ever been to any gym, rec, hood, anywhere, get ran off the court and see if you get some respect. I’ve been to all of them.

“And I’ve taken butt-whoopings. That’s part of it. But you know what I do do? I’mma comeback. Nah. That ain’t it. You are not going to represent the Sacramento Kings [like that]. Not while I’m here. You know how that goes. I’m a realist. It’s part of our business. But nah. Put on a jersey, represent it properly.”

Christie, who spent five seasons with the Kings during his playing career, concluded his rant by bringing up the fans, saying that they were likely “f–king embarrassed” with the team’s performance.

“These people need to come into the turnstiles and they need to be proud of the product when they leave here that they see, not f–king embarrassed. Unacceptable. Period. It is. This a simple one.

“This ain’t even hard… I don’t need to look at no tape. Probably won’t look at it. I’ve seen it once live. Damn if you want to look at it again. But I will.”