Some shocking news occurred today in the NBA world as the Toronto Raptors announced the dismissal of head coach Nick Nurse. In five years as the head man of the Raptors, Nurse led the franchise to their first-ever championship in 2019 and was named the NBA’s Coach of The Year in 2020.
Nick Nurse is out as Raptors coach, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/HEKwTAdfUH
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 21, 2023
Nurse is a perfect example of someone who has worked their way from the bottom as he began his coaching career in 1989 as an assistant at the University of Northern Iowa. Nurse landed his first professional coaching gig in 1995 across the pond in London as an assistant for the Birmingham Bullets. Nurse’s basketball coaching journey reached the NBA in 2013 with the Raptors, and he was an assistant with Toronto until 2019, when he landed his first head coaching gig amidst the firing of Dwane Casey.
As a rookie head coach, Nurse would become an NBA champion-winning head coach in a season filled with unforgettable memories for the Raptors organization and their fanbase. Nurse, Kawhi Leonard, and Kyle Lowry are seen as critical components of that team beating the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Forever grateful. Thank you, Nick Nurse
More: https://t.co/k32XKJIZxu pic.twitter.com/dofkvgiEOA
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 21, 2023
Nurse would then have another great season in 2020 in which he won the high honor of being named Coach of The Year during the bubble season. In the years since, the Raptors have clinched just one playoff berth, which came in the 2022 season.
As of now, it seems as if the favorite to land the coveted Raptors head coaching job is former Celtics coach Ime Udoka; Udoka was let go before this season beginning due to sexual misconduct in the workplace, including cheating on superstar actress Nia Long.
As for Nurse, he will be fine as he is viewed as one of the elite coaches in the league; in terms of teams interested in his services, the Houston Rockets have been rumored to have high interest in Nurse. Something of note, Udoka is also part of the Rockets head coaching search.
The Rockets are progressing toward a second-round of interviews, which are expected to include Ime Udoka, Frank Vogel and the introduction of Nick Nurse into the process, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/Oq7wscq9Bv
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 21, 2023
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