NBA: Toronto Raptors at Los Angeles Lakers
The Raptors have announced they have fired head coach Nick Nurse, according to multiple reports.
Nurse led the Raptors to their first NBA championship in franchise history as a first-year head coach, and won NBA Coach of the Year for the 2019-2020 season. He had spent 10 years with the Raptors organization and the last five at the helm, where he compiled a 390-227 record over five seasons as the HC.
Recent rumors made it seem that Toronto and Nurse were headed towards a breakup, and it became official on Friday. Nurse will be a coveted candidate to take over as the head coach for multiple teams, including the Rockets and Pistons. As for the Raptors, Ime Udoka is expected to be a serious candidate to take over in Toronto.
“The decision to make a change like this is never arrived at easily or taken lightly, especially when it comes to a person who has been an integral part of this franchise’s most historic accomplishments, and who has been a steady leader through some of our team’s most challenging times,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said in a statement.
The Raptors missed out on the playoffs when they lost to the Chicago Bulls in the play-in tournament. Nurse had one year remaining on his deal.
