NBA rumors: Nick Nurse set to interview with 76ers

After firing head coach Doc Rivers, the Philadelphia 76ers are set to bring in former NBA championship-winning coach Nick Nurse for an interview.

It’s not often you see NBA teams part ways with big-name head coaches, but that is exactly what’s happening in 2023.

While there were limited openings available ahead of the play-in tournament and playoffs, some of the top teams have opted to go in a different direction regarding the head coach. The Philadelphia 76ers, following another second-round exit, fired head coach Doc Rivers. They have a late start to their coaching search, but they are targeting a big name to start things off.

According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, 76ers ownership and management are set to meet with and interview former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse for their vacancy.

76ers interviewing Nick Nurse for head coaching vacancy

Nurse and the Raptors were unable to make it to the playoffs this season after a 41-41 regular-season record. Toronto was part of the play-in tournament as the No. 9 seed but was eliminated by the No. 10 Chicago Bulls. Shortly afterward, the Raptors fired Nurse after five seasons at the helm.

The decision to fire Nurse made him one of the latest NBA championship-winning head coaches to get fired a handful of years after hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy. He was the latest until the Milwaukee Bucks fired Mike Budenholzer after their first-round exit to the Miami Heat.

After spending five years as an assistant, Nurse was promoted to head coach ahead of the 2018-19 season. That was the very campaign in which the team acquired Kawhi Leonard, and the team went on to defeat the Golden State Warriors in six games in the NBA Finals. This was their first championship in franchise history. But, the team was unable to make it back to the NBA Finals, let alone the Eastern Conference Finals, since.

In his five years, Nurse held a 227-163 regular-season record and a 25-16 playoff record.

While the 76ers are interviewing Nurse to see if he can be the coach for the job to get the team to an NBA title, they aren’t the only team interested in him. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (subscription required), Nurse is expected to “begin his formal process with meetings” with the Bucks and Phoenix Suns.