\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJamahl Mosley was fired as coach of the Orlando Magic on Monday, paying the widely expected price after the team blew a 3-1 series lead and got eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs.It was Orlando\u2019s third consecutive first-round playoff exit, and easily the most disappointing. Not only did the eighth-seeded Magic lose all three chances to upset the top-seeded Pistons, but one of those games saw Orlando have a 24-point second-half lead at home and still lose. Orlando missed 23 consecutive shots in that Game 6 loss on Friday, getting booed by fans when it was over.That loss probably was the one that sealed Mosley\u2019s fate, even though the loss in Game 7 at Detroit on Sunday was the one that ended the season.\u201cWe\u2019re grateful to Jamahl for all he\u2019s done for the Orlando Magic,\u201d Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said. \u201cWe appreciate his leadership and the positive contributions he made as head coach. While this was a difficult decision, we feel it\u2019s time for a new voice and fresh perspective. We wish Jamahl and his family nothing but the best.\u201dMosley is the third-winningest coach in Magic history, his 189 wins behind only Brian Hill (267) and Stan Van Gundy (259). He inherited a team that was in the early stages of a rebuild, with Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs entering the league as rookies in his first season and then the Magic winning the lottery to draft Paolo Banchero No. 1 overall before Mosley\u2019s second season.Orlando won 22 games in Mosley\u2019s first season, improved to 34-48 in Year 2 and has been .500 or better in all three seasons since \u2014 47-35 in 2023-24, 41-41 last season and 45-37 this season.That makes the Magic one of 10 teams \u2014 Boston, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma City are the others \u2014 to have not finished below .500 in any of the last three seasons.It wasn\u2019t enough. And with much of the team\u2019s core \u2014 Banchero, Wagner, Suggs, Desmond Bane and more \u2014 under contract for the foreseeable future, the Magic clearly felt the best way to shake things up was to bring in a new coach.\u201cIt\u2019s been absolutely amazing journey with these guys,\u201d Mosley said. \u201cTheir ability to grow, communicate … we\u2019re going to fight until the final horn goes off. And that\u2019s what you\u2019ve seen for a majority of the five years.\u201dIt is a roster in need of upgrading in some ways, shooting perhaps foremost among them after Orlando was only 27th in the 30-team league in 3-point percentage this season. Injuries have also been a major issue for the Magic, including in the playoffs \u2014 with Wagner unable to play in the final three games, all losses, against Detroit.Mosley\u2019s job security was a talking point for much of the season, especially amid reports that he and Banchero were not on the same page. In March, Banchero acknowledged that were some moments of conflict \u2014 but thought Orlando was better for going through that.\u201cWe\u2019re both competitors,\u201d Banchero said when asked then about his relationship with Mosley. \u201cThere were times where I was frustrated and I wasn\u2019t playing as well as I think I should be. But it never became me pointing the finger at him or being disrespectful. It was all constructive; he\u2019s talking to me, I\u2019m talking to him. And winning, it cures everything.\u201dEvidently, there wasn\u2019t enough winning.Mosley had two seasons left on an extension that he and the Magic agreed on in March 2024. The team lauded his \u201cpreparation, work ethic, ability to connect with the players and passion he brings to the job every day brings positive results, both on the court and off\u201d when announcing that deal.Barely two years later, he and the Magic were parting ways.Only seven coaches have been in their current jobs longer than Mosley was with Orlando \u2014 Miami\u2019s Erik Spoelstra (hired in 2008), Golden State\u2019s Steve Kerr (2014), the Clippers\u2019 Tyronn Lue (2020), Oklahoma City\u2019s Mark Daigneault (2020), Minnesota\u2019s Chris Finch (2021), Indiana\u2019s Rick Carlisle (2021) and Dallas\u2019 Jason Kidd (2021).Mosley spent 15 years as an assistant in Denver, Cleveland and Dallas \u2014 and was often mentioned as a candidate for head-coaching jobs around the league over that span \u2014 before Orlando hired him. He had a long relationship with Weltman, who first took note of Mosley when they worked together with the Nuggets.Mosley was the 14th coach in Magic history, the 15th if counting Billy Donovan \u2014 who accepted the job in 2007, then had second thoughts and returned to the University of Florida. Donovan just left the Chicago Bulls after six seasons as their coach, which sparked speculation that he could be the frontrunner in Orlando if the Magic indeed would be moving on from Mosley.Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Jamahl Mosley was fired as coach of the Orlando Magic on Monday, paying the widely expected price after the team blew a 3-1 series lead and got eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs.<\/p>\n
It was Orlando\u2019s third consecutive first-round playoff exit, and easily the most disappointing. Not only did the eighth-seeded Magic lose all three chances to upset the top-seeded Pistons, but one of those games saw Orlando have a 24-point second-half lead at home and still lose. Orlando missed 23 consecutive shots<\/a> in that Game 6 loss on Friday, getting booed by fans when it was over.<\/p>\n That loss probably was the one that sealed Mosley\u2019s fate, even though the loss in Game 7 at Detroit on Sunday was the one that ended the season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re grateful to Jamahl for all he\u2019s done for the Orlando Magic,\u201d Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said. \u201cWe appreciate his leadership and the positive contributions he made as head coach. While this was a difficult decision, we feel it\u2019s time for a new voice and fresh perspective. We wish Jamahl and his family nothing but the best.\u201d<\/p>\n Mosley is the third-winningest coach in Magic history, his 189 wins behind only Brian Hill (267) and Stan Van Gundy (259). He inherited a team that was in the early stages of a rebuild, with Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs entering the league as rookies in his first season and then the Magic winning the lottery to draft Paolo Banchero No. 1 overall before Mosley\u2019s second season.<\/p>\n Orlando won 22 games in Mosley\u2019s first season, improved to 34-48 in Year 2 and has been .500 or better in all three seasons since \u2014 47-35 in 2023-24, 41-41 last season and 45-37 this season.<\/p>\n That makes the Magic one of 10 teams \u2014 Boston, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma City are the others \u2014 to have not finished below .500 in any of the last three seasons.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t enough. And with much of the team\u2019s core \u2014 Banchero, Wagner, Suggs, Desmond Bane and more \u2014 under contract for the foreseeable future, the Magic clearly felt the best way to shake things up was to bring in a new coach.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been absolutely amazing journey with these guys,\u201d Mosley said. \u201cTheir ability to grow, communicate … we\u2019re going to fight until the final horn goes off. And that\u2019s what you\u2019ve seen for a majority of the five years.\u201d<\/p>\n It is a roster in need of upgrading in some ways, shooting perhaps foremost among them after Orlando was only 27th in the 30-team league in 3-point percentage this season. Injuries have also been a major issue for the Magic, including in the playoffs \u2014 with Wagner unable to play in the final three games, all losses, against Detroit.<\/p>\n Mosley\u2019s job security was a talking point for much of the season, especially amid reports that he and Banchero were not on the same page. In March, Banchero acknowledged that were some moments of conflict \u2014 but thought Orlando was better for going through that.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re both competitors,\u201d Banchero said when asked then about his relationship with Mosley. \u201cThere were times where I was frustrated and I wasn\u2019t playing as well as I think I should be. But it never became me pointing the finger at him or being disrespectful. It was all constructive; he\u2019s talking to me, I\u2019m talking to him. And winning, it cures everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Evidently, there wasn\u2019t enough winning.<\/p>\n Mosley had two seasons left on an extension that he and the Magic agreed on in March 2024. The team lauded his \u201cpreparation, work ethic, ability to connect with the players and passion he brings to the job every day brings positive results, both on the court and off\u201d when announcing that deal.<\/p>\n Barely two years later, he and the Magic were parting ways.<\/p>\n Only seven coaches have been in their current jobs longer than Mosley was with Orlando \u2014 Miami\u2019s Erik Spoelstra (hired in 2008), Golden State\u2019s Steve Kerr (2014), the Clippers\u2019 Tyronn Lue (2020), Oklahoma City\u2019s Mark Daigneault (2020), Minnesota\u2019s Chris Finch (2021), Indiana\u2019s Rick Carlisle (2021) and Dallas\u2019 Jason Kidd (2021).<\/p>\n Mosley spent 15 years as an assistant in Denver, Cleveland and Dallas \u2014 and was often mentioned as a candidate for head-coaching jobs around the league over that span \u2014 before Orlando hired him. He had a long relationship with Weltman, who first took note of Mosley when they worked together with the Nuggets.<\/p>\n Mosley was the 14th coach in Magic history, the 15th if counting Billy Donovan \u2014 who accepted the job in 2007, then had second thoughts and returned to the University of Florida. Donovan just left the Chicago Bulls after six seasons as their coach, which sparked speculation that he could be the frontrunner in Orlando if the Magic indeed would be moving on from Mosley.<\/p>\n Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25<\/a><\/p>\n