The Scott Skiles Era shockingly came to an end Thursday morning—the 52-year-old suddenly stepped down as head coach.
Scott Skiles has informed the Orlando Magic that he is stepping down as head coach. The Magic will begin a search effective immediately.
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) May 12, 2016
WHAT THE FUCK
— Evan Fournier (@EvanFourmizz) May 12, 2016
Skiles says he’s not “the right head coach for this team.”
The Magic went 35-47 this season, and a search for a new bench boss will begin immediately.
From the press release:
“After much thought and careful consideration, I and I alone, have come to the conclusion that I am not the right head coach for this team,” said Skiles. “Therefore, effective immediately, I resign my position as head coach of the Orlando Magic. I realize this type of decision can cause much speculation. The reality though is in the first sentence. It is simple and true. Any other rumors are pure conjecture.”
“I sincerely apologize for any unintended consequences that may adversely affect anyone associated with this decision,” Skiles continued. “The Magic are a world-class organization that employs world-class people. I wish them nothing but great success. I will always be thankful, especially to the DeVos family, for the opportunity.”
“While we understand it was a challenging season, we reluctantly have accepted Scott’s (Skiles) resignation,” said GM Rob Hennigan. “We appreciate Scott instilling a culture of accountability and certainly wish him and his family well.” […] Skiles, 52, became the 12th head coach in Orlando Magic history on May 29, 2015. He has an overall NBA regular season record of 478-480 (.499) as head coach with Phoenix, Chicago, Milwaukee and Orlando. During his 14 seasons as a head coach, his teams have reached the NBA Playoffs six times.
