Pelicans fire Willie Green

By Matt Moscona

The New Orleans Pelicans have fired head coach Willie Green amid a 2-10 start to the season. Green is in his fifth season with the team.

Associate head coach James Borrego will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

The #Pelicans have relieved Willie Green of his duties as head coach, it was announced today by Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars.

Associate Head Coach James Borrego has been named interim head coach.

“After careful evaluation, we have made the… pic.twitter.com/cpnAR70V3o

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 15, 2025

“After careful evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to make a change at head coach,” Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars said in a statement. “I have the utmost respect for Willie Green, and I’m sincerely appreciative of his contributions to the Pelicans organization and the New Orleans community. We wish him and his family all the best in the future.”

Green was hired by the Pelicans in 2021 and despite finishing 36-46, the team would earn a playoff spot via the play-in tournament. The Pelicans would fall in the First Round in six games to the Suns, Green’s former team.

Appearing to build on the momentum from year one, the Pelicans started 23-12 the following season. A rash of injuries caused the Pels to plummet back into the play-in tournament, losing this time to Oklahoma City.

Green led the Pelicans to their best finish in his tenure in 2023-24 with a 49-33 record, but the team once again exited in the First Round. Last season, the team’s 21-61 record was the worst in 20 years.

The team hired Dumars this offseason to replace David Griffin as Vice President of Basketball Operations.

“As I have stated, Joe Dumars is in charge of basketball operations decisions, and as one of the best basketball minds in the business, I trust him to make the right decisions for our franchise,” said Pelicans Governor Gayle Benson.

The Pelicans return to action Sunday at home against the Golden State Warriors.