Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said the Sacramento Kings showed "no class" in parting ways with Mike Brown on Friday.

Brown was crowned the NBA Coach of the Year for the second time in his career in his first season with the Kings in 2022-23, after he helped Sacramento snap the longest playoff drought in NBA history at 16 seasons.

However, the Kings' one-point loss to the Detroit Pistons marked their fifth straight defeat, coming after a pair of losses to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Currently, the franchise is a measly 13-18, good for 12th in the Western Conference, resulting in Brown's departure despite signing a contract extension in June through to the 2026-27 season.

Brown finishes his Kings tenure with a .549 win percentage (107-88).

Malone, who won a championship with the Nuggets in the 2022-23 season, lasted just 106 games in Sacramento before they also decided to move on from him in 2014.

He hit out at the manner of Brown's firing, saying: "What really p***** me off about it was they lost last night, fifth game in a row.

"They have practice this morning, (Brown) does his post-(practice) media, and he’s in his car going to the airport to fly to L.A. They call him on the phone. No class. No balls."

The 53-year-old Malone, who began his head-coaching career in Sacramento, had more to say.

"Awful. Yeah, awful,” Malone said. “And the reason I say that is, we were going into a meeting this afternoon, and the good thing about me is that, honestly, I’m not on social media.

"I’m not aware of what’s going on outside these walls sometimes. I’ve had an office with no windows for 10 years. It’s probably taken off six years of my life.

"I go into the meeting, and the coaches say, ‘Did you hear about Mike Brown?’ And I say, 'Why, what happened?’ They said he got fired.

"At first, I was really shocked and surprised, and then I caught myself and said, ‘Why am I shocked and surprised?'

"For two reasons. One, because as an NBA head coach you’re ultimately going to get the blame. When they win, it’s going to (Domantas) Sabonis or (De’Aaron) Fox.

"When you lose, it’s gonna go to Mike Brown. That’s the way it works. And two, who he works for. I’m not surprised Mike Brown got fired because I got fired by the same person."

Since moving on from Malone in 2014, the Kings have cycled through six different head coaches, including interims.