Raptors fire championship-winning head coach

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Nick Nurse, who led Toronto to the 2019 NBA championship, is no longer the Raptors head coach. 

Nurse was fired by the organization on Friday, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. 

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse looks on in the first quarter during their game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on April 2, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

Toronto went 41-41 during the 2022-23 NBA season, missing the playoffs after losing to the Chicago Bulls in the NBA’s play-in tournament. 

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Former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka is expected to be a serious candidate to replace Nurse, according to ESPN, while Nurse is expected to draw interest from the Houston Rockets for its head coaching vacancy. 

"The decision to make a change like this is never arrived at easily or taken lightly, especially when it comes to a person who has been an integral part of this franchise's most historic accomplishments, and who has been a steady leader through some of our team's most challenging times," Raptors president Masai Ujiri said in a statement. "As we reflect on Nick's many successes, we thank him and his family, and wish them the best in future.

"This is an opportunity for us to reset, to refocus, to put into place the personnel and the players who will help us reach our goal of winning our next championship."

Nurse became the coach of the Raptors in 2018, going 227-163 in five seasons. He was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2020. 

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse participates in an all access practice on March 12,