Mar 20, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse looks on in the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse shut down rumors about him potentially leaving for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Even though the Los Angeles Lakers did not qualify for the NBA playoffs, they are still dominating the news cycle, mostly due to their search for a new head coach. After finishing 11th-place in the Western Conference, the Lakers fired Frank Vogel. There have been tons of names that have been linked to the Los Angeles gig, one of them being Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.
When meeting with the media on Tuesday, May 3, Nurse shut down rumors about him leaving for the Lakers, saying that his focus is on “coaching this team.” The quote comes via Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports.
Nick Nurse strongly dismisses Lakers’ coaching rumors
Nurse was not the only one to respond to the rumors on Tuesday. Raptors team president Masai Ujiri said that no team has contacted him about Nurse, but he said that the Lakers can “keep dreaming.” You can listen to Ujiri’s comments in TSN Sports‘ tweet below:
The Raptors are coming off of a 2021-22 season where they finished in fifth in the Eastern Conference. They matched up against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first-round of the playoffs, where they fell to an 0-3 deficit before taking Games 4 and 5. Ultimately, the 76ers advanced with a Game 6 victory in Toronto.
Nurse has been the head coach of the Raptors since 2018. In his very first season, Toronto won their first NBA championship. Overall, Nurse holds a 186-122 record.
As for the Lakers, they will continue to look for a new head coach. In fact, the Lakers have former coach Phil Jackson helping in their search.