Ernie Grunfeld has been fired as president of the Washington Wizards after 16 seasons in charge of the team.
The Wizards announced his dismissal on Tuesday with four games left in a disappointing, no-playoffs season.
Washington is 32-46 and in 11th place in the 15-team Eastern Conference.
The club went 568-724 during Grunfeld's tenure with eight postseason appearances. But Washington never made it past the second round of the playoffs.
Owner Ted Leonsis said the Wizards "did not meet our stated goals of qualifying for the playoffs." He also noted that the team dealt with "injuries to several key players" — most notably, John Wall.
Tommy Sheppard will take over Grunfeld's duties for now and will be a candidate to replace him permanently.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
