The Orlando Magic fired head coach Jamahl Mosley on Monday. Since its inaugural season in 1989, the team has had 15 head coaches, including interim coaches.
The Magic have played 37 seasons and have made the playoffs 19 times. In the past 10 seasons, the Magic have made the playoffs five times.
It’s not an easy job and the firing of a coach is not always fair. Even Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has said each NBA head coach’s tenure has “an expiration date.”
The search for a new coach, led by president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman, is about to get started. Meanwhile, here’s a look at the Magic’s coaching history, from the beginning with Matt Goukas through Mosley’s time in Orlando:
Timeline of Magic coaches
Matt Guokas
Years: 1989-93
Regular season: 111-217
Postseason: 0-0
Of note: Inaugural coach; oversaw early expansion years; team was 41-41 in his final season, the Magic’s first non-losing season, which was also Shaquille O’Neal’s rookie year.
Brian Hill
Years: 1993-97
Regular season: 191-104
Postseason: 18-18
Of note: Led team to first NBA Finals (1995); 60-22 record in 1995-96 is franchise’s best regular-season record.
Richie Adubato
Years: 1997
Regular season: 21-12
Postseason: 2-3
Of note: Interim; posted a .636 winning percentage after taking over for the fired Hill; Magic went on six-game winning streak after he became coach; was Magic’s radio color analyst from 2005-2020.
Gary W. Green, Orlando Sentinel
Matt Guokas was the Orlando Magic’s first head coach.
Chuck Daly
Years: 1997-99
Regular season: 74-58
Postseason: 1-3
Of note: Hall of Famer known for “Bad Boys” years with the Pistons; Magic went 33-17 in lockout-shortened 1998-99 season.
Doc Rivers
Years: 1999-2003
Regular season: 171-168
Postseason: 5-10
Of note: 2000 Coach of the Year winner; led Magic to 41-41 mark in his debut season as a head coach.
Johnny Davis
Years: 2003-05
Regular season: 51-84
Postseason: 0-0
Of note: Fired after a 21-game losing streak; was Magic Hall-of-Famer Dwight Howard’s first NBA coach and is credited with helping him transition from high school to the NBA.
Chris Jent
Years: 2005
Regular season: 5-13
Postseason: 0-0
Of note: Interim; first-year assistant was thrust into head coaching job at age 35 after Davis was let go; only head coach in franchise history whose entire NBA head coaching career consists of this single stint with the Magic.
Brian Hill
Years: 2005-07
Regular season: 76-88
Postseason: 0-4
Of note: Only coach with two separate stints with team; after going 36-46 in 2005-06, led the Magic to the postseason the following year for the first time in four years.
The relationship between Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and star player Dwight Howard was rocky at the end of their time together. (AP Photo/El Nuevo Herald, David Santiago)
Stan Van Gundy
Years: 2007-12
Regular season: 259-135
Postseason: 31-28
Of note: Franchise leader in regular-season winning percentage (.657) and playoff wins; led Magic on a run to the 2009 NBA Finals, where they lost in five games to the Lakers; only became coach when Billy Donovan backed out of his contract to return to the University of Florida; now calls NBA games for Amazon Prime.
Jacque Vaughn
Years: 2012-15
Regular season: 58-158
Postseason: 0-0
Of note: Oversaw start of post-Dwight Howard rebuild; when he was hired at age 37, he was the youngest coach in the NBA at the time; helped early development of Victor Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic.
James Borrego
Years: 2015
Regular season: 10-20
Postseason: 0-0
Of note: Interim; won his debut, 103-97 over Lakers; Magic held first four opponents under 100 points; later became Hornets head coach and first full-time Hispanic head coach in NBA history.
Scott Skiles
Years: 2015-16
Regular season: 35-47
Postseason: 0-0
Of note: Former Magic player resigned unexpectedly after just one season; team improved by 10 wins in his lone season; speculation centers on a rift with management that led to his departure.
Frank Vogel
Years: 2016-18
Regular season: 54-110
Postseason: 0-0
Of note: Was hired for his track record with defense as coach of the Pacers; tenure was complicated by a front office in transition; later won 2020 NBA title with the Lakers in the Orlando pandemic bubble.
Steve Clifford
Years: 2018-21
Regular season: 96-131
Postseason: 2-8
Of note: Oversaw 17-win improvement in his first season from previous year; ended six-year playoff drought in his first season.
Jamahl Mosley
Years: 2021-26
Regular season: 189-221
Postseason: 7-12
Of note: Second in coach of the year voting in 2023-24; won two Southeast Division titles; fired after three consecutive first-round playoff exits.
Quick shots about Magic coaches
Winningest Coach: Brian Hill (267 regular season victories).
Playoff Success: Stan Van Gundy holds the record for most playoff victories (31).
The “Almost” Coach: Billy Donovan accepted the Magic job in 2007 but backed out days later to return to the University of Florida. Donovan wound up coaching in the NBA, for five seasons with Oklahoma City and six seasons with Chicago.