Sixers Assistant Ime Udoka Joins Steve Nash's Staff With Brooklyn Nets

Last season, veteran assistant coach Ime Udoka wrapped up a seven-year stint coaching with Greg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs to join the Philadelphia 76ers' coaching staff. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, Udoka became Brett Brown's top assistant, creating the Sixers' defensive strategy.

It's no secret the Sixers failed to exceed expectations in 2019-2020. Coming into the season, Brett Brown mentioned he'd like to fight for the first seed in the Eastern Conference. Considering the 76ers were big spenders last summer in free agency, Philly was viewed as championship contenders before tip-off last October.

With a strange season's worth of evidence, it's clear the Sixers were far from championship contenders this past season. After picking up the sixth seed in the East and failing to garner a single win in the first round of the playoffs, the 76ers decided to fire Brett Brown after seven years.

A couple of months later, the Sixers landed Doc Rivers as the new head coach. As expected, Rivers began forming a coaching staff of his own, which meant other assistants would likely begin to find work elsewhere. Before Friday, two assistants that Brown left behind, Kevin Young and John Bryant, found jobs in Phoenix and Chicago.

And on Friday, Udoka became the third coach to leave as he's reportedly joining Steve Nash's staff with the Brooklyn Nets. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Udoka and former Sixers Associate Head Coach Mike D'Antoni will become the Nets' latest addition to the new coaching staff.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_