Orlando Magic Fire Jamahl Mosley After Blowing 3-1 Playoff Lead

The Orlando Magic have fired head coach Jamahl Mosley. 

This comes after the Game 7 loss to the Detroit Pistons. The Magic were up in the series 3-1 before losing the next three games.

Mosley was hired in the 2021 offseason following Steve Clifford’s firing. The Magic went 22-60 in his first season. Cole Anthony was their leading scorer with 16 points per game.

The Magic’s poor record in 2021-22 got them the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. They selected Paolo Banchero with this pick. Banchero won Rookie of the Year in 2023 while averaging 20 points per game. The Magic improved to 34 wins. 

By 2023-24, Mosley had established the Magic as a defensive-minded team. The Magic ranked No. 4 in defense that season. Banchero’s scoring average went up to 22.6, leading to him making the All-Star Game. The Magic won 47 games and finished with the No. 5 seed. 

The 2024-25 season was filled with injuries for the Magic. Banchero played just 46 games, and Franz Wagner just 60. The Magic won 41 games and finished with the No. 7 seed. 

In the 2025 offseason, the Magic traded for Desmond Bane. Although the Magic had played good defense under Mosley, they had lacked offense. Bane averaged just 16 points from October 2025 through January 2026. However, his point-per-game average increased to 21 from February to April. The Magic won 45 games and finished with the No. 8 seed. 

The Magic didn’t finish in the top 10 defensively. Although their offense was better than in the past two seasons, they were still in the bottom half of the league.

USA TODAY reported that Billy Donovan is a candidate to be the next head coach of the Magic. Donovan was nearly hired by the Magic in 2007 before returning to coach Florida.