LA Lakers interested in Raptors’ Nick Nurse to replace Frank Vogel
The Lakers dismissed head coach Vogel on Monday and are actively seeking his replacement. Raptors’ Nurse is reportedly in their sights.
The Los Angeles Lakers fired head coach Frank Vogel on Monday after a poor season that saw them fail to reach the playoffs.
There were no obvious immediate candidates to replace Vogel, who was with the Lakers for three seasons, but the NBA rumour mill never stops and the Raptors’ head coach Nick Nurse is now said to be the Lakers primary target for their top job.
Nurse still under multi-year contract with Raptors
Nurse has two seasons left on his contract with the Toronto Raptors, meaning the Lakers would need the permission of the Canadian franchise to enter negotiations with the 54-year-old.
Nurse has been with the Raptors for four seasons, with an overall 186-122 record.
Nurse won NBA Championship in first season
He was promoted from assistant head coach to the top job with the Raptors in 2018 and won the first ever championship in the franchise’s history in his first season, beating the Golden State Warriors in game 6 of the NBA finals.
Nurse is from Carroll, Iowa and played for the University of Northern Iowa from 1985 to 1989, appearing in 111 games. He took up coaching when he joined British outfit the Derby Rams as player-coach in 1990, and then became a full time coach at Grand View University in 1991.