Nets dismiss Vaughn, hire Ollie on interim basis
The Brooklyn Nets promoted assistant coach Kevin Ollie to interim bench boss following Jacque Vaughn's firing Monday, the team announced.
The Brooklyn Nets have named Kevin Ollie as interim head coach. pic.twitter.com/utziAA8r44
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 20, 2024
Ollie led UConn to a national title as a head coach in 2014. He played 13 years in the NBA and is in his debut campaign on an NBA coaching staff.
Vaughn was in the middle of his second season at the helm in Brooklyn. He led the team to a 43-32 record and a playoff berth last year.
"This was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we feel is in the best interest of the team going forward," said general manager Sean Marks.
Vaughn had been with the franchise since 2016. The 49-year-old worked as an assistant before being promoted to bench boss after the team moved on from Steve Nash seven games into the 2022-23 season. Vaughn also served as interim coach in 2020 after Kenny Atkinson's dismissal.
The California native owns a career 129-226 record as a head coach across stints with the Nets and the Orlando Magic.
Brooklyn started the season off strong with a 13-10 record but has won just eight of its last 31 games.
Though wing Mikal Bridges and guard Cam Thomas have put together strong campaigns, Brooklyn has failed to find its footing. The Nets rank in the league's bottom half in both offense and defensive rating and don't have a top-30 scorer.