The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly came to an agreement with Nick Nurse to make him their new head coach. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
According to Wojnarowski, Nurse was also pursued by the Phoenix Suns but decided to take the 76ers job due to his connection with team president Daryl Morey and a chance to coach the reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid.
Nurse previously spent five years as the head coach of the Toronto Raptors. He led the Raptors to an NBA title in his first season at the job and followed that up with two more playoff trips. The 55-year-old coach was fired after Toronto finished the 2022–23 campaign with a 41-41 record and missed out on the postseason.
The 76ers were looking for a new head coach after firing Doc Rivers following disappointing playoff elimination this season. Philly was up 3-2 on the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semis but ended up losing the series 3-4. This was the franchise’s third-straight second-round exit under Rivers.
Nick Nurse is now expected to get the 76ers over the hump and bring an NBA championship to Philadelphia. The 76ers last made the NBA Finals in 2000–01 and haven’t won a ring since 1982–83.
