Pelicans coach Willie Green fired amid ugly start to NBA season
- - Pelicans coach Willie Green fired amid ugly start to NBA season
Scooby Axson, USA TODAY November 15, 2025 at 8:34 PM
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The New Orleans Pelicans fired head coach Willie Green after four-plus seasons on Saturday, the team announced.
Assistant coach James Borrego, who served as the Charlotte Hornets' head coach from 2018 to 2022, will take over as the team's interim head coach.
“After careful evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to make a change at head coach,” Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars said. “I have the utmost respect for Willie Green, and I’m sincerely appreciative of his contributions to the Pelicans organization and the New Orleans community. We wish him and his family all the best in the future.”
Willie Green during a game against the Clippers.
The move comes hours after the Pelicans suffered another loss, this time a 118-104 home defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers, bringing their record to 2-10, the worst in the Western Conference.
Green led the Pelicans to the postseason twice, in 2022 and 2024, both first-round playoff defeats. He had a 150-190 record.
New Orleans had been hit with the injury bug; star forward Zion Williamson has missed the last six games with a left hamstring strain, and guard Dejounte Murray is out as he tries to work himself back from a torn Achilles suffered in January.
“As I have stated, Joe Dumars is in charge of basketball operations decisions, and as one of the best basketball minds in the business, I trust him to make the right decisions for our franchise,” said Pelicans Governor Gayle Benson.
Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.
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Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.
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1 / 8Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponentsOct. 26: The Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg dunks the ball past the Toronto Raptors' Sandro Mamukelashvili at the American Airlines Center.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pelicans' Willie Green fired amid ugly start to NBA season
Source: “AOL Sports”
