P.J. Carlesimo arrived from Seattle in 2008 entrenched as the franchise’s lead man, coached the Thunder to a 1-12 record in its first 13 games and was promptly fired.
Scott Brooks, an assistant at the time, was immediately promoted to interim coach. There was never an opening. Over the next six-plus seasons, as OKC climbed from playoff upstart to conference champ to consistent contender, the interim tag was lifted and Brooks became one of the league’s longest tenured head coaches, roaming the sidelines for the past 545 regular season games.
But he was fired on Wednesday morning.