Despite three straight playoff appearances, three straight exits forced the Orlando Magic to move on from Jamahl Mosley.
The Orlando Magic have had three straight playoff trips, and zero second-round appearances. After the Magic’s first-round elimination by the Detroit Pistons, there was an inevitable conclusion for Orlando to make. The team has now decided to fire head coach Jamahl Mosley after five years with the team. Despite steady progress, the team continuously hit a postseason wall they just couldn’t climb.
The news came less than 24 hours after the 116-94 Game 7 loss to the Pistons. What made the first-round exit so hard to swallow for the Magic was the 3-1 series lead they ultimately blew, and that it was the third straight exit in that round became a tipping point. The team will now look for their next leader under president Jeff Weltman, who will lead the coaching search.
Mosley was hired in 2021 after the bubble season in which Orlando went 21-51, and immediately found success, guiding them to two division titles, three straight winning seasons, and three playoff berths. He’ll end his tenure with a 189-211 record and 7-12 in the playoffs. Mosley had signed a contract extension in 2024 to remain at the helm through 2027-28, but things hit the crescendo early, likely all accelerated by significant injuries to key players throughout his tenure that all piled up at the end.
To read more about what went wrong in Orlando and what’s next for the franchise, here is the full story from Magic Roundtable writer Don Strouble.
The team hadn’t made it past the first round since 2010, and Mosley ultimately wasn’t able to break the glass there.