Sergio Scariolo Says Goodbye & Thank You to Raptors

Toronto Raptors assistant coach Sergio Scariolo says goodbye to the organization as he takes over Virtus Bologna for next season

Aaron Rose | Jun 17, 2021

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

After three years with the Toronto Raptors, Sergio Scariolo is saying goodbye.

The 60-year-old Raptors assistant has reportedly taken a job in Italy to become the new head coach of Virtus Bologna, according to multiple reports. While the Raptors haven't officially announced his departure, Scariolo took to Twitter to say goodbye to Toronto and the Raptors.

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— Sergio Scariolo (@sergioscariolo) June 17, 2021

"I have no words to express my feelings of gratitude to Larry Tannenbaum and his family, Masai Ujiri, Bobby Webster, and Nick Nurse for these three fantastic years in the Raptors family. I have learned so much from you all, had the good fortune to coach great players and built relationships that will last forever," Scariolo wrote in the message.

"A special thank you to all the players, the coaches, the team and arena staff, the fans and the people of Toronto, who welcomed me warmly and made the city feel like home from day one. Two years ago, we won a great championship together. I know everyone in the organization works hard, every day, to reach that goal again — and I will be cheering for the Raptors from Europe!"

The departure comes after Scariolo reportedly agreed to an extension with Toronto to remain an assistant coach with the team moving forward. Toronto, however, has allowed assistant coaches to chase head coaching jobs around the league and Scariolo's situation was no different.

The Raptors will now have at least two assistant coaching vacancies to fill after Chris Finch left mid-season to take over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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