Toronto Raptors Pay Tribute to 76ers' Nick Nurse Saturday

The Toronto Raptors show love to Nick Nurse on Saturday night.

For their second game of the season, the Philadelphia 76ers paid a visit to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night. The matchup marked the first time Sixers head coach Nick Nurse coached at Scotiabank Arena as a visitor.

During the first quarter of the matchup, the Raptors paid tribute to Nurse following his long tenure with the organization.

Raptors Show Brotherly Love to Nurse

an awesome welcome back for Coach in Toronto. ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/u9j9QKKuNF

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 28, 2023

For the last decade, Nurse was a member of the Raptors’ organization. After bouncing around jobs beyond the NBA and even in the G League, Nurse’s first assistant job at the NBA level was with the Raptors. 

After serving as an assistant from 2013 to 2018, Nurse got the opportunity to replace Dwane Casey as the head coach of the Raptors. As a rookie head coach, Nurse found immediate success. He coached the Raptors to a 58-24 record, which placed them second in the Eastern Conference.

With wins over the Orlando Magic and the 76ers in the playoffs, the Raptors faced the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Despite being underdogs in the series, the Raptors came out on top and advanced to the 2019 NBA Finals, where they eventually defeated the Golden State Warriors.

With that victory, the Raptors took home their first NBA title in the franchise’s history, which caused Nurse to be recognized as one of the most notable coaches in the league.

Although the Raptors never mirrored that 2019 success, they made the playoffs twice over the next four years. They followed up their NBA Finals run with a 53-19 season, which ended in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Raptors missed the playoffs in 2021 when they played the season in Tampa Bay due to COVID-19 restrictions. They bounced back in 2021-2022 by going 48-34, clinching the fifth seed in the East. That year, the Sixers defeated the Raptors in six games during the first round.

Nurse’s final season in Toronto ended on a low note, hence why the organization moved on. After going 41-41, the Raptors had a chance to clinch a spot in the playoffs via the NBA Play-In Tournament. Unfortunately for them, they were unsuccessful.

After missing the playoffs, the Raptors parted ways with Nurse. Shortly after, Nurse linked up with the 76ers, who parted ways with Doc Rivers after three seasons. Philadelphia hopes the one-time champion can finally help their team get beyond the second round for the first time since the early 2000s.