INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers fired coach Nate McMillan on Wednesday, two days after the team was swept in the first round of the NBA playoffs for the third time in four seasons.
In a news release, the team said it will begin its search for a new coach immediately.
“On behalf of the Simon family and the Pacers organization, I’d like to thank Nate for his years with the team,” Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard said in a statement.
“This was a very hard decision for us to make; but we feel it’s in the best interest of the organization to move in a different direction. Nate and I have been through the good times and the bad times; and it was an honor to work with him for those 11 years (in Indiana and Portland).”
McMillan served as an assistant coach under Frank Vogel before the team promoted him prior to the 2016-17 season. In four seasons, McMillan's teams went 183-136, including 3-16 in the playoffs.
The Pacers never advanced past the first round of the playoffs in McMillan's four seasons. Their nine-game playoff losing streak equals the 11th longest in NBA history.
Indiana finished the regular season 45-28, including a 6-2 record after the NBA restarted in Orlando, and earned the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, with Domantas Sabonis and Jeremy Lamb out with injuries, the team was swept by the Miami Heat.
McMillan and the team previously agreed to a one-year contract extension on Aug. 12.
