Nate McMillan fired by Indiana Pacers two weeks after contract extension
Wednesday 26 August 2020 17:53, UK
The Indiana Pacers have fired head coach Nate McMillan just two weeks after giving him a contract extension.
McMillan's dismissal comes two days after the Pacers were swept out of the Eastern Conference playoffs by the Miami Heat.
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The decision came as a surprise, given it was made just two weeks after the Pacers announced that McMillan had been given a one-year contract extension through the 2021-22 season.
"On behalf of the Simon family and the Pacers organisation, I'd like to thank Nate for his years with the team," Kevin Pritchard, the team's president of basketball operations, said.
"This was a very hard decision for us to make; but we feel it's in the best interest of the organisation to move in a different direction.
"Nate and I have been through the good times and the bad times; and it was an honour to work with him for those 11 years [in Indiana and Portland]."
McMillan, 56, amassed a 183-136 record but was just 3-16 in the playoffs with the Pacers. The 183 victories are third most in the team's NBA history.
In announcing the extension on August 12, Pritchard said: "What Nate has done in four seasons with our franchise merits this extension."
In the playoff sweep, the Pacers lost by an average of 10.5 points per game, as they struggled without All-Star Domantas Sabonis (foot).
McMillan has a 661-588 career record with the Seattle SuperSonics (2000-05), Portland Trail Blazers (2005-12) and Pacers.
