Magic fire Jamahl Mosley after 5 seasons as coach, 3 first-round playoff appearances
Magic fire Jamahl Mosley after 5 seasons as coach, 3 first-round playoff appearances Magic fire Jamahl Mosley after 5 seasons as coach, 3 first-round playoff appearances SO IT IS MONDAY, MAY 4TH. I’M NATHALIE POZO WITH YOUR NEWS TO GO. A SUSPECT ON THE LOOSE THIS MORNING AFTER A SHOOTING AT A PORT SAINT LUCIE SHOPPING CENTER. THE POLICE CHIEF SAYS THIS MAN. NOREEN KEN MASCARA, IS CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS. POLICE SAY IT STARTED OVER A BUSINESS TRANSACTION. TWO VICTIMS ARE NOW IN THE HOSPITAL. TWO OTHER SUSPECTS ARE IN CUSTODY. FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI IS IN CRITICAL BUT STABLE CONDITION IN THE HOSPITAL HERE SOMEWHERE IN FLORIDA. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT COMES DAYS AFTER THE REPUBLICAN SAID HIS VOICE WAS, QUOTE, A LITTLE UNDER THE WEATHER DURING HIS ONLINE TALK SHOW ON PALM BEACH. IT’S NOT CLEAR WHAT HE’S IN THE HOSPITAL FOR, HOW LONG HE’S BEEN THERE. A FIRE BREAKING OUT ON SATURDAY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA. OFFICIALS SAY IT HAPPENED AT A LABORATORY ON THE SAINT PETERSBURG CAMPUS. THE BUILDING A TOTAL LOSS. UNIVERSITY POSTED ONLINE THAT A LIGHTNING STRIKE WAS REPORTED IN THE AREA WHEN THE FIRE STARTED. HOWEVER, THE EXACT CAUSE OF THE FIRE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION. CLASSES AND EXAMS SCHEDULED FOR THE LAB WERE MOVED TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION. AND WEATHER WISE, WE’RE GOING TO SEE INTERMITTENT RAINFALL TODAY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AROUND THE AREA. SO MAKE SURE YOU’RE ATTUNED TO THE FACT THAT YOU’LL NEED THE UMBRELLA. IT’S NOT GOING TO BE A WASHOUT, BUT WE WILL BE UNSETTLED WITH SOME NUISANCE RAINS THROUGHOUT A Updated: 12:14 PM EDT May 4, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Advertisement Magic fire Jamahl Mosley after 5 seasons as coach, 3 first-round playoff appearances Updated: 12:14 PM EDT May 4, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Jamahl Mosley was fired as coach of the Orlando Magic on Monday, paying the widely expected price after the team blew a 3-1 series lead and got eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs.It was Orlando’s third consecutive first-round playoff exit, and easily the most disappointing. Not only did the eighth-seeded Magic lose all three chances to upset the top-seeded Pistons, but one of those games saw Orlando have a 24-point second-half lead at home and still lose. Orlando missed 23 consecutive shots in that Game 6 loss on Friday, getting booed by fans when it was over.That loss probably was the one that sealed Mosley’s fate, even though the loss in Game 7 at Detroit on Sunday was the one that ended the season.“We’re grateful to Jamahl for all he’s done for the Orlando Magic,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said. “We appreciate his leadership and the positive contributions he made as head coach. While this was a difficult decision, we feel it’s time for a new voice and fresh perspective. We wish Jamahl and his family nothing but the best.”Mosley is the third-winningest coach in Magic history, his 189 wins behind only Brian Hill (267) and Stan Van Gundy (259). He inherited a team that was in the early stages of a rebuild, with Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs entering the league as rookies in his first season and then the Magic winning the lottery to draft Paolo Banchero No. 1 overall before Mosley’s second season.Orlando won 22 games in Mosley’s first season, improved to 34-48 in Year 2 and has been .500 or better in all three seasons since — 47-35 in 2023-24, 41-41 last season and 45-37 this season.That makes the Magic one of 10 teams — Boston, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma City are the others — to have not finished below .500 in any of the last three seasons.It wasn’t enough. And with much of the team’s core — Banchero, Wagner, Suggs, Desmond Bane and more — under contract for the foreseeable future, the Magic clearly felt the best way to shake things up was to bring in a new coach.“It’s been absolutely amazing journey with these guys,” Mosley said. “Their ability to grow, communicate ... we’re going to fight until the final horn goes off. And that’s what you’ve seen for a majority of the five years.”It is a roster in need of upgrading in some ways, shooting perhaps foremost among them after Orlando was only 27th in the 30-team league in 3-point percentage this season. Injuries have also been a major issue for the Magic, including in the playoffs — with Wagner unable to play in the final three games, all losses, against Detroit.Mosley’s job security was a talking point for much of the season, especially amid reports that he and Banchero were not on the same page. In March, Banchero acknowledged that were some moments of conflict — but thought Orlando was better for going through that.“We’re both competitors,” Banchero said when asked then about his relationship with Mosley. “There were times where I was frustrated and I wasn’t playing as well as I think I should be. But it never became me pointing the finger at him or being disrespectful. It was all constructive; he’s talking to me, I’m talking to him. And winning, it cures everything.”Evidently, there wasn’t enough winning.Mosley had two seasons left on an extension that he and the Magic agreed on in March 2024. The team lauded his “preparation, work ethic, ability to connect with the players and passion he brings to the job every day brings positive results, both on the court and off” when announcing that deal.Barely two years later, he and the Magic were parting ways.Only seven coaches have been in their current jobs longer than Mosley was with Orlando — Miami’s Erik Spoe
