Report: Pelicans hire Jamahl Mosley as coach

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Pelicans have hired former Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley as their next coach, ending interim coach James Borrego’s candidacy to retain his job on a permanent basis, a person with knowledge of the decision told the Associated Press on Monday.

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The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the hiring hasn’t been officially announced.

Mosley heads to New Orleans after spending the past five seasons with Orlando, which fired him this month after the Magic’s seven-game, first-round playoff loss to the Pistons. The Magic had a 3-1 lead in that series, as well as 24-point lead in Game 7.

Mosley went 189-221 with Orlando. His teams qualified for the NBA playoffs in each of the past three seasons and won the Southeast Division twice, but were eliminated in the first round each time.

Borrego was the Pelicans’ interim coach for 70 games, taking over a 2-10 team after the firing of Willie Green.

In what was his second interim job and third chance overall to lead a staff, Borrego went 24-46 with the Pelicans, who missed the postseason for a second straight season.

Borrego also had coached the Hornets from 2018-22. His teams earned Eastern Conference play-in spots in 2021 and 2022, but did not advance to the playoffs in either of those seasons.

When the 2025-26 regular season ended, Borrego said he wanted to keep the Pelicans’ job on a permanent basis, and said he was confident that with a full offseason in charge, he could put a more consistent winner on the court.

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Pelicans basketball operations chief Joe Dumars said Borrego was indeed a candidate, but that he would also look “outside the building” for his next coach.

Mosley becomes the Pelicans’ third coach since Dumars took over as executive vice president of basketball operations before last season.

Dumars’s decision to hire Mosley gives him an experienced hand to coach a team that took two players in the first round of the 2025 draft — guard Jeremiah Fears and forward Derik Queen — to augment a lineup led by forward Zion Williamson, wing Trey Murphy, and guard Dejounte Murray.

Mosley got the nod over several other candidates considered by Dumars, including former player Rajon Rondo, Nets assistant Steve Hetzel, and former Lakers coach Darvin Ham, who is now a top assistant with Milwaukee. Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney also was reportedly under consideration.

Before Mosley took his only previous head coaching position with Orlando, he spent seven seasons as one of then-Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle’s top assistants, a stint that overlapped with the development of Luka Doncic, who began his NBA career in Dallas before being traded to the Lakers.

Before working in Dallas, Mosley was with the Cavaliers for four seasons.

While Mosley, a former standout college player at Colorado, did not play in the NBA, he did play professionally in Australia, Europe, and Asia before starting his NBA career in player development and scouting with Denver in 2005.

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