Detroit Pistons fire coach Monty Williams after one season that ended with NBA's worst record

The Detroit Pistons fired coach Monty Williams on Wednesday after just one season that ended with an NBA-worst 14-68 record.

“Decisions like these are difficult to make, and I want to thank Monty for his hard work and dedication,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “Coaching has many dynamic challenges that emerge during a season and Monty always handled those with grace. However, after reviewing our performance carefully and assessing our current position as an organization, we will chart a new course moving forward.”

Last season was the first in what was a six-year, $78.5 million contract for Williams — one that, at the time, was the richest ever given to an NBA coach. The team started a front office rebuild when the season ended, including the hiring of Trajan Langdon as president of basketball operations, the departure of general manager Troy Weaver and now a vacancy at head coach.

The firing continues a wildly strange run for Williams. In 2021, as coach of the Suns, he went to the NBA Finals, where Phoenix led 2-0 before falling in six games to Milwaukee. In 2022, he was the NBA’s coach of the year in runaway voting. In 2023, the Suns fired him and now, in 2024, the Pistons have done the same.

The record for total value of a coaching contract has since been eclipsed; Miami gave Erik Spoelstra an eight-year extension worth $120 million earlier this year.

This was, by any measure, a disaster of a season for the Pistons. They started 2-1 and didn’t win another game for the next two months.

A 28-game losing streak, the longest ever in a single season in NBA history and tied for the longest ever when factoring in multiple seasons, turned the season into a debacle. The Pistons’ longest winning streak was two games (done on three occasions) and the roster was constantly in flux. Detroit used 31 different players over the course of the season and 36 different starting lineups and lost 39 times by double digits.

The vacancy in Detroit is the third active one in the NBA, with Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers still seeking coaches. The Pistons’ move comes a week before the start of the NBA draft, with Detroit set to make the fifth overall pick on June 26 — someone that should be able to further enhance a young core led by Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren.

Those players, all 22 or younger, were the only three Pistons to start at least 60 games this past season.

“We are unwavering in our commitment to bring a championship-caliber team to Detroit,” Gores said. “We will be diligent and swift in our search for a new head coach to lead our exciting young core of players and will continue our vision towards building a best-in-class front office that will help us achieve sustainable success.”

This story has been corrected to show that Williams' contract was for six, not five, years.

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FILE - Detroit Pistons coach Monty Williams reacts during a timeout in the first half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023, in New York. The Detroit Pistons have fired coach Monty Williams after just one season, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.(AP Photo/Noah K. Murray, File)

FILE - Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams yells to his team during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Friday, April 12, 2024, in Dallas. The Detroit Pistons have fired coach Monty Williams after just one season, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday, June 19.(AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter, File)

FILE - Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Friday, March 29, 2024, in Washington. The Detroit Pistons have fired coach Monty Williams after just one season, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday, June 19.(AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

Boeing is being sanctioned by U.S. investigators for sharing information about a federal investigation of a door plug blowout that left a gaping hole in a Boeing 737 Max 9.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that Boeing “blatantly violated” the agency's investigative regulations as well as a signed agreement by providing non-public investigative information to the media and speculating about possible causes of the Jan. 5 door plug blowout on a Boeing passenger jet in Portland, Oregon.

During the incident, a panel that plugged a space left for an extra emergency door blew off an Alaska Airlines Max 9. Pilots were able to land safely, and there were no injuries.

The NTSB said that on Tuesday during a media briefing, a Boeing executive provided non-public investigative information to the media about the Alaska Airlines incident that the agency had not verified or authorized for release. The NTSB said that Boeing portrayed the NTSB's investigation as a search to find the individual responsible for the door plug work, but the agency said it's focused on the probable cause of the accident, not placing blame on any individual or assessing liability.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Thursday. Shares of The Boeing Co., based in Arlington, Virginia, were flat before the opening bell.

The NTSB said that given its recent actions, Boeing won't have access to investigative information the agency produces about the Alaska Airlines incident, but it will keep its party status to the investigation.

The NTSB is unable to fine Boeing, as it doesn't have enforcement authority. While the agency could have stripped away Boeing's party status, the NTSB may have considered it more important to keep Boeing as a party to the investigation because of its employees’ expertise.

The NTSB said that it may subpoena any relevant records it requires during the course of the investigation. It also will subpoena Boeing to appear at an investigative hearing in Washington D.C. on Aug. 6 and 7. The agency said that, unlike other parties, Boeing won't be able to ask questions of other participants.

The NTSB said that it will coordinate with the Department of Justice's Fraud Division, giving them information about Boeing’s recent unauthorized investigative information releases related to the 737 Max 9 door plug investigation.

In May the Justice Department told a federal judge that Boeing had violated a settlement that allowed the company to avoid criminal prosecution after two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft.

After Max jets crashed in 2018 in Indonesia and 2019 in Ethiopia, killing 346 people, the FAA and other regulators grounded the aircraft worldwide for more than a year and a half.

It is now up to the Justice Department to decide whether to file charges against Boeing. Prosecutors will tell the court no later than July 7 how they plan to proceed, the department said in May.

Boeing has been under intense scrutiny of late. Earlier this month, CEO David Calhoun defended the company’s safety record during a contentious Senate hearing, while lawmakers accused him of placing profits over safety, failing to protect whistleblowers, and even getting paid too much.

There has been pressure on Calhoun to resign immediately, but he has no plans to do so. Calhoun previously announced that he will step down by the end of 2024.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., center, visits with family members of victims of Boeing plane crashes after a Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee on Investigations hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)