The Toronto Raptors Have Fired Head Coach Nick Nurse & Here's How People Are Reacting
Fans are split.
Nick Nurse at a press conference. Right: Nick Nurse at a Toronto Raptors game.
Nick Nurse is out as the Toronto Raptors head coach.
The news, which was confirmed at a press conference on Friday, comes after the Toronto Raptors missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season, finishing with a 41-41 record.
Nurse, who was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2019, had been the head coach of the Toronto Raptors for five seasons, leading the team to their first-ever NBA championship. However, the past two seasons have been a struggle for the team, with key players departing and injuries affecting the roster.
Raptors president and vice chairman Masai Ujiri spoke to journalists about the team's decision "to part ways" with Nurse, as well as thanked him for his years of dedication.
"Incredible championship, incredible 10 years. So tough, tough, tough times," Ujiri said.
The president also revealed that he had "a great conversation" with the former head coach "today and last week."
Judging by fans' reactions online, the decision to fire Nurse is controversial, leaving many shocked.
\u201c@wojespn Wow I wasent expecting to hear this at all dam all the best to you Nick Nurse\u201d— Adrian Wojnarowski (@Adrian Wojnarowski) 1682084298
An outpour of support from fans could be seen as well on Twitter, with many praising the coach.
\u201cDamn, thank you for everything Nick Nurse\u201d— sayhaj (@sayhaj) 1682084901
Others were more accepting of the news, believing a significant change was needed to get the team back on track.
\u201cSay what you want about Nick Nurse, he guided us to our 1st chip. He saw the development and improvement of our current core, who also helped with the chip (pascal, fvv, Og somewhat). He is a great coach and will do awesome things. Sad day today but I think a fresh start is good!\u201d— Faris Zahid (@Faris Zahid) 1682084866
Nurse has yet to release a statement on his firing. However, he did offer up some parting remarks about the 2023 season on Instagram last week.
"Listen, I love it here…and we have built a really strong culture," he said. "We got to all evaluate how we can get that culture back where we need it and get back to being a playoff team and then getting to a level of winning it all."