Renowned player development coach Rico Hines leaves Sacramento Kings for Toronto Raptors

Rico Hines, a widely respected NBA player development coach, is leaving Sacramento after three seasons with the Kings to take a job with the Toronto Raptors.

Hines, 44, served under former Kings coach Luke Walton and interim coach Alvin Gentry, but he will not be part of Mike Brown’s staff moving forward. Hines confirmed the news of his departure on social media Thursday, penning a long goodbye to Sacramento.

“Thank you Sacramento and thank you to the Sacramento Kings organization,” Hines said in an Instagram post. “The past 3 seasons have been a whirlwind, with NBA seasons coming to a pause, going to play in a bubble, playing in empty arenas, to quick summers (off-seasons) to restart the season again.

“Through all of that I always tried to stay true to what I always believe in, which is hard work, being pure and authentic (full of energy) and putting hammer to rock each and every day. I’m truly grateful for the friendships that I made while I was there and you guys are family forever. Kings fans are truly great and you guys deserve nothing but success, and I wish Kings Nation nothing but good luck. Extremely thankful and grateful for my time there. God is good! Now it’s time for a new start!”

Hines played at UCLA from 1997-2002. He was part of four Sweet 16 teams and served as team captain for his final three seasons.

Hines has nearly 15 year of college and professional coaching experience and a strong reputation for his work in player development. He works with numerous college and pro players during the offseason. His private runs at UCLA attract some of the NBA’s biggest stars and top college prospects.

Hines worked as a player/athletic development assistant with the Golden State Warriors from 2006-10. He was an assistant coach at St. John’s from 2010-15 before making his way back to the NBA.

In 2016, Hines was hired as an assistant coach with the Reno Bighorns, the G League affiliate of the Kings, who later relocated to Stockton. He was named to Walton’s staff as a player development coach in 2019.

Hines was promoted to director of player development/assistant coach in 2020. At the time, Walton called Hines a “valued member of the coaching staff,” saying: “His ability to forge relationships of trust with the players combined with his proven track record of developmental success will continue to be a great complement to the team.”