Spurs hire Knicks player development coach Scott King to coach G-League team

The San Antonio Spurs are hiring Knicks assistant director of player development Scott King to be the next head coach of their G-League affiliate, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

King served one year in his role in player development after working as an assistant video coordinator under Tom Thibodeau for four seasons beginning in 2019-20.

King came under the spotlight when Julius Randle slapped King’s laptop amid a heated exchange that led to assistant coaches stepping in to separate the two during a Knicks loss at the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2022.

When Randle was asked what started the altercation, in the days following the incident, he said: “Nothing. Stuff like that happens all the time. Honestly, there’s heated exchanges and arguments throughout a game, but it’s all coming from a good place. Everybody wants to win. Everybody’s challenging each other to win. It’s fine. I slapped his laptop today, too. I wasn’t mad, but I slapped it.’’

King got his NBA start as a video intern with the Detroit Pistons for the 2018-19 season. Joining the Austin Spurs will be his second stint in the G-League as King’s first professional job in basketball operations was for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2017-18).

As a player, King was a bit player at Division I Stony Brook for the seasons before transferring to Fairfeld.