Orlando Magic hires new head coach, league source says

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Orlando Magic has hired a new head coach, according to a league source.

FOX 35 sports reporter Adam Shadoff confirmed with a league source on Sunday morning that the Orlando Magic are hiring Jamahl Mosley as the team's new head coach.

Mosley previously served as an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks for at least five seasons. He also reportedly was the team's defensive coordinator prior to the 2018-2019 season, in charge of planning the defense’s strategy for every game. For the last three summers, he was said to be the head coach of the Mavericks summer league team.

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Prior to his time with the Mavericks, Mosley reportedly spent five seasons with the Denver Nuggets and four seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Mosley is now Orlando’s sixth since February 2015, following Jacque Vaughn, James Borrego, Scott Skiles, Frank Vogel, and Clifford. He also is the 15th head coach in the franchise's history.

"We would like to welcome Jamahl and his family to the Magic family," said Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman. "Within the NBA coaching community, Jamahl is considered a rising star. His coaching path is rooted in player development. He is a communicator and connector, and we look forward to him leading our group."

A press conference welcoming Mosley to the Orlando Magic will be held on Monday afternoon.

In June, Orlando Magic announced that Steve Clifford would not be back as coach for the upcoming season. The decision was said to be mutual. During his three seasons with the team, Clifford was 96-131. Orlando went to the playoffs in 2019 and 2020 under Clifford, its first postseason trips since a run of six straight ended in 2012.

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"It’s been an honor and privilege to coach this team in this community," Clifford said.

Orlando was 21-51 this last season. Clifford missed some games near the end of the season after testing positive for COVID-19. He had been vaccinated just as the positive test results came back, was asymptomatic, and returned for the season’s final few days.

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