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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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4 May 1998: Seattle SuperSonics head coach George Karl looks down in disbelief during game one of the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. The SuperSonics defeated the Lakers. (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)
4 May 1998: Seattle SuperSonics head coach George Karl looks down in disbelief during game one of the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. The SuperSonics defeated the Lakers. (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images) /

9. Seattle SuperSonics Fire George Karl (May 27, 1998)

No coach in the history of the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder won as often as George Karl did. In parts of seven seasons from January 1992 through the 1997-98 season, the Sonics won to the tune of a .719 winning percentage.

That was during the regular season. Once the postseason rolled around, Seattle was a much-more pedestrian 40-40 and save for the 1995-96 season, when they reached the NBA Finals for the only time under Karl, the Sonics were almost always bounced before they really should have been.

Seattle won 63 games and the top seed in the Western Conference in 1993-94 before being upset by the Denver Nuggets in the first round. The following season, the Sonics were 57-25, but fell 3-1 to the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.

Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the Oklahoma City Thunder

After going down to the Lakers in the conference semifinals in 1998, general manager Wally Walker broke off contract talks with Karl and fired the coach despite a 384-150 record.

The Aftermath For Karl: He landed on his feet with the Milwaukee Bucks, getting them to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001 before resigning after the 2002-03 campaign. He was back in the NBA in 2005 with the Nuggets and was fired after eight-plus seasons and a 423-257 record that included just one playoff run beyond the first round. He’s been the coach of the Sacramento Kings since last February.

The Aftermath For The SuperSonics: Seattle would reach the playoffs just three times—winning only one series—over the next 10 seasons before the franchise was moved to Oklahoma City, while running through five coaches in the process. So, less than optimal would be the answer to the question.

Next: Kerner Strikes Again