Nick Nurse will become the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Sources told ESPN on Monday that the Philadelphia 76ers had hired Nick Nurse as their next coach, giving him the responsibility of leading the team to its first championship in forty years.

According to insiders, Nurse was faced with a tough choice between two competitive clubs on Sunday and Monday after the Sixers and Phoenix Suns engaged with him and his agent, Andy Miller of Klutch Sports.

Nurse’s decision to negotiate a contract with Philadelphia was influenced by his desire to coach MVP Joel Embiid and his past relationship with Sixers head of basketball operations Daryl Morey, according to sources. During the interview process, Nurse set himself apart by pitching an embryo-centered plan for the Sixers.

Now that he’s a member of the Sixers franchise, they’ll be trying to re-sign James Harden, who is anticipated to hit free agency this summer.

This season, Nurse led the Toronto Raptors in an aggressive defensive approach that made them the first team to record the most thefts while allowing the fewest since the stat was first recorded in 1973–74. While permitting the fewest turnovers, the Raptors also topped the league in points per game generated by turnovers.

In April, following his sixth season in charge, Nurse and the Raptors announced their separation. During his time with Toronto, Nurse recorded a 227-163 (.582) record and was named Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Since Magic Johnson of the Lakers in 1990–91, Embiid will be the only player to win the MVP award and start the next season on the same club with a new coach.

Doc Rivers, who was fired after leading the Sixers to three straight trips to the Eastern Conference playoffs, will be replaced by Nurse. In the conference semifinals this year, the Boston Celtics defeated the Sixers in Game 7.