76ers’ Nick Nurse Sends Final Message to Toronto Raptors

The Nick Nurse era in Toronto concluded nearly two months ago. After Nurse was let go by the Toronto Raptors following a rather disappointing season, the head coach went silent.

The start of the offseason was set to be a busy one for Nurse, who had to search for his next opportunity to coach in the NBA. Considering Nurse is a one-time NBA Champion and one-time Coach of the Year recipient throughout the five years he led the Raptors, the head coach was expected to generate some significant interest in the free agency market.

At first, the Houston Rockets were linked to Nurse. As they wrapped up their time with Stephen Silas, the Rockets were expected to consider bringing on Nurse. While Houston reportedly interviewed the head coach, they ultimately decided to hire former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka.

Everything went quiet on the Nurse front for the next few weeks, but his market would heat up as more teams joined the head coaching market. The Milwaukee Bucks parted ways with Mike Budenholzer. The Phoenix Suns fired Monty Williams, and the Sixers called it quits with Doc Rivers.

To no surprise, Nurse was a prospect for all three organizations mentioned above. The Bucks and the Suns reportedly considered Nurse a finalist in their search. Last week, it was reported that Nurse took himself out of the running for the Bucks’ job, which signaled he was likely headed to Phoenix or Philadelphia. A couple of days later, his next destination was confirmed.

Nick Nurse has been hired as the new head coach for the 76ers, replacing Doc Rivers after a three-year run with the team.

At last, Nurse broke his silence. With a new job locked in, Nurse sent a final farewell message to Toronto via Instagram this week.

“Thank You. My family and I are forever grateful for the love and support you have shown us. Thank you to the city of Toronto, MLSE, Larry Tannenbaum, and the board of the entire Raptors organization. We will miss the people, the city, the country we’ve called home for the past ten years. Through the foundation, we will continue to support the community that has given so much to us.”

When Nurse met with the media for the first time since finalizing his contract with the 76ers, he echoed a similar message before fielding questions from reporters.

“The first thing I'd like to say is that it was ten great years in Toronto,” said Nurse. “Masai Ujiri, Larry Tanenbaum, Bobby Webster, they treated me really well there. It was a fascinating city. A fascinating country. Lots of good players. I’m very grateful for those ten years, for sure. Saying that I’m super excited to be here. This is a very good team, first of all. The tradition, the city. It’s a sporting city. This organization, I know it’s amazing. I’m honored, humbled, and excited to be the new coach of the 76ers.”

After a ten-year run with the Raptors, spending half of that time as an assistant and the other half as the head coach, Nurse is set to get a fresh start in Philadelphia.