NBA Coach of the Year: 5 coaches that were fired after winning award

1. Mike Brown

Hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2005 at 35 years old, Mike Brown became the second-youngest head coach in the NBA. He also was the most fortunate, as he inherited the otherworldly talents of LeBron James.

Under the leadership of Brown, Cleveland improved by eight wins the next two seasons. Following an appearance in the 2007 NBA Finals and a second round exit in 2008, he led the Cavaliers to two straight 60+ win seasons. He was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2009 for guiding the Cavs to a franchise best 66-16 record.

Though Cleveland made the playoffs all five seasons under his leadership, they had one lone appearance in the NBA Finals. Brown became the first coach in NBA history to accomplish back-to-back 60+ win seasons and fail to advance to the championship round.

Following a disappointing second round defeat to the Boston Celtics in 2010, he was fired by the Cavaliers. He found limited success in Los Angeles with the Lakers, but after a 1-4 start to the 2012-13 season, he was once again fired.

Rehired in 2013 by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, he experienced the most difficult year of his coaching career. The team was plagued by injuries and a hostile locker room, and he was fired a second time after a 33-49 season.

Though he never made another appearance in the NBA Finals as head coach, he did make two straight playoff appearances and had a combined record of 136-99.

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Among the coaches on this list, Brown enjoyed the most success after winning the Auerbach trophy.