Mike Brown has been fired as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers just days after the LeBron James led NBA basketball club was ousted from the playoffs by the Boston Celtics.
Brown, who coached Cleveland for five seasons, had one year left on his contract.
Brown is the most successful coach in franchise history, finishing with a record of 272-138. He was the league's coach of the year in 2009.
Now they face an uncertain future with two-time league MVP James possibly testing the free agent market.
Cleveland, which had the best record in the NBA the past two seasons, had a 2-1 series lead over the Celtics before losing three straight, including the final two at home.