In professional sports, the saying goes that coaches are hired to be fired. But in the NBA, some of those firings have been just brutal. Here are the 15 harshest.
Coaches are hired to be fired. That old axiom has proven true for all but a select few that have done enough—and won enough—to be afforded the opportunity to leave on their own terms.
The day after the National Football League season ends is referred to by the media as “Black Monday,” because it is the day in most years when many coaches will be handed their walking papers.
But the NBA historically might be the harshest league of all when it comes to firings that leave fans and analysts alike scratching their heads and wondering, “Really?”
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The topic came to the forefront again last week when the Cleveland Cavaliers fired coach David Blatt in spite of (a) reaching the NBA Finals last season and (b) holding first place in the Eastern Conference with a 30-11 record.
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Can we get a chorus of “What’s a guy gotta do?” Thanks.
Of course, it’s more volatile for some franchises than others.
The Boston Celtics, for instance, have employed 17 coaches—including interim stints—in 70 seasons. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, have had 20 coaches in just 46 years.
The Detroit Pistons, dating back to their days in Fort Wayne early in their history, have used 35 different coaches in 68 seasons and just one—Chuck Daly from 1983-92—stayed on the job for more than five years.
The Los Angeles Clippers, sans San Diego Clippers, sans Buffalo Braves, have had 25 different guys in the first chair on the bench in their 46 seasons, with only Mike Dunleavy having more than four seasons’ worth of staying power.
And Dwane Casey, provided he survives the end of the season (and he should, but hey … you never know in the NBA), will be the first Toronto Raptors coach to work five full seasons.
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Only two coaches in NBA history—Jerry Sloan with the Utah Jazz and Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs—have been with the same team for 20 or more seasons (Popovich is in his 20th season this year).
But the list of coaches with 10 or more years in a single coaching stint is shorter than you might think:
- Jerry Sloan, Utah Jazz, parts of 23 seasons (1988-2011)
- Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs, 19-plus seasons (1996-2016)
- Red Auerbach, Boston Celtics, 16 seasons (1950-66)
- John MacLeod, Phoenix Suns, 13-plus seasons (1973-87)
- Slick Leonard, Indiana Pacers, 11-plus seasons (1968-80)
- Rudy Tomjanovich, Houston Rockets, 11-plus seasons (1992-2003)
- Al Attles, San Francisco/Golden State Warriors, 10-plus seasons (1970-80)
- Don Nelson, Milwaukee Bucks, 10-plus seasons (1976-87)
- Jack Ramsay, Portland Trail Blazers, 10 seasons (1976-86)
- Doug Moe, Denver Nuggets, 10 seasons (1980-90)
- Red Holzman, New York Knicks, parts of 10 seasons (1967-77)
- Flip Saunders, Minnesota Timberwolves, parts of 10 seasons (1995-2005)
There have been several other coaches who have accumulated 10 seasons or more with one team in separate coaching stints, but those 12 listed above are the only ones to do it consecutively.
So what are the 15 harshest coach firings in NBA history? We’ll start with the ones that didn’t make the cut but deserve a mention.
Next: Harsh, But Not Quite That Harsh