Hoops Habit
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NBA: 15 Harshest Coach Firings Of All Time

By Phil Watson

Jan 25, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt (right) reacts beside forward LeBron James (23) against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland won 108-98. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 25, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt (right) reacts beside forward LeBron James (23) against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland won 108-98. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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INGLEWOOD, UNITED STATES: Dennis Rodman (L), the leading rebounder for the San Antonio Spurs, sits on the bench during a timeout at their 14 May playoff game with the Los Angeles Lakers in Inglewood, California. Rodman was benched for this game, by coach Bob Hill, because of his behavior in the last game. The Spurs won, 80-71, to take a 3-1 lead in the western conference semi-final series. (Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, UNITED STATES: Dennis Rodman (L), the leading rebounder for the San Antonio Spurs, sits on the bench during a timeout at their 14 May playoff game with the Los Angeles Lakers in Inglewood, California. Rodman was benched for this game, by coach Bob Hill, because of his behavior in the last game. The Spurs won, 80-71, to take a 3-1 lead in the western conference semi-final series. (Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images) /

6. Spurs Fire Bob Hill (Dec. 10, 1996)

Bob Hill’s status as coach of the San Antonio Spurs had been up for debate long before Dec. 10, 1996, when general manager Gregg Popovich fired Hill and installed himself as head coach.

But it didn’t make the timing any easier, considering Hill got off to a 3-17 start in 1996-97 with former MVP David Robinson sidelined and he was let go on the very day Robinson was cleared to return.

In 2014, Hill told the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn that he kind of saw it coming.

Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the San Antonio Spurs

“It’s part of life—[Popovich] always wanted to be the head coach; I just didn’t recognize it quick enough. … I probably should have just resigned (after the second year) and got out of here. I stayed and he got the job. I’m sure he had that in mind all along.”

Hill had gone 121-43 in his first two seasons with the Spurs, reaching the conference finals in 1995 and the second round in 1996.

The Aftermath For Hill: Hill went on to coach four seasons at Fordham University, where the Rams were 36-78 before the school bought out the remainder of his 10-year contract. He also coached the Seattle SuperSonics for parts of two seasons from 2005-07 and was most recently an assistant coach for the Ukrainian national team at the FIBA World Cup in 2014.

The Aftermath For The Spurs: Popovich is recognized as one of the top five coaches of all-time, the Spurs have won five championships and Pop and Tim Duncan—who San Antonio took with the No. 1 pick after their tanktastic 1996-97 campaign—are still together at The Alamo.

Next: K.C. Takes The Bullet