Nick Nurse essentially had his pick of jobs around the NBA this offseason, but the former Toronto Raptors coach opted to take the head coaching position with the Philadelphia 76ers. There were apparently two big reasons for his decision.
The Phoenix Suns were still pursuing Nurse as late as Monday, right up until he accepted the 76ers job, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Nurse’s reasons for preferring Philadelphia are twofold. He has familiarity with Sixers president Daryl Morey from the two seasons he spent coaching the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Houston Rockets’ G League affiliate. He was also drawn to the job because of the chance to coach reigning MVP Joel Embiid.
.@wojespn has the latest on Nick Nurse becoming the 76ers head coach: pic.twitter.com/WnXGwDmXZG
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 29, 2023
The connection between Embiid and Nurse is an interesting one. The 76ers and Raptors met in a few high-profile playoff series, and the two seemed to get under each other’s skin at times. There were even some whispers that Embiid might not be keen on playing for Nurse before the Sixers made their decision.
Clearly, Nurse is a fan of Embiid, regardless of their history. One would figure that Embiid would get over any hard feelings too considering how championship-focused he is.
