In the midst of a disappointing season, the Washington Wizards have chosen to part ways with team president and general manager Ernie Grunfeld.
The Wizards, who are mired in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference standings with a 32-46 record, let go of the man who has led the franchise for the past 16 seasons.
Grunfeld was hired as the team’s president and GM in 2004 after the team fired basketball legend Michael Jordan from the same role.
The former team president’s tenure with the team got off to a fascinating start after the 2004-05 Wizards compiled a winning record for the first time in 26 seasons and qualified for the playoffs.
Grunfeld would go on to construct teams that went to the playoffs 8 times in his 16 seasons leading the team.
The Wizards won only one Southeast Division title, however, in sixteen tries.
In addition, Washington never advanced past the conference semifinals in their several playoff appearances under Grunfeld’s leadership. His overall record with the team was 568-724.
Although the Wizards franchise made progress under almost two decades of Grunfeld’s leadership, team ownership ultimately decided that this was not enough.
For now, Tommy Sheppard takes over as the team’s interim president.
