Alvin Gentry Fired By Phoenix Suns After Leading Team To Worst Start In 24 Years

Alvin Gentry has been fired by the Phoenix Suns after the team stumbled to a 13-28 record.

Gentry had been with the Suns since the middle of the 2008-09 season, taking over when Terry Porter was fired. He had been an assistant coach under Porter and before that under Mike D’Antoni. In all Gentry had been with the Suns for 11 years, joining the team in 2002 as D’Antoni’s assistant, Sports Illustrated noted.

Alvin Gentry was fired largely because of the disappointing season the team has endured. The team is off to its worst start since 1988, and its 13-28 record is good for last in the Pacific Division. The team has also lost seven of its previous eight games.

In all, Gentry had a 158-144 record with the Suns, including one playoff appearance. In 2010 he led the team to the Western Conference finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Alvin Gentry’s firing comes after what was an embarrassing incident for the team last month. From Bloomberg:

“The team offered fans a money-back guarantee for its Dec. 6 game against the Dallas Mavericks. After the Suns’ 97-94 loss, the Suns received 365 refund demands, about 2 percent of that night’s 17,517 attendance.”

Some Suns players expressed disappointing at Gentry’s firing. Suns forward-center Channing Frye wrote about the firing on Twitter, saying, “I have grown so much under @AlvinGentry. I wish him and his family the best. He’s a great coach and a better man.”

No interim coach has been named after Alvin Gentry was fired, but the Suns said they will name one within the next day or two.