Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has been named the 2019-20 NBA Coach of the Year, the league announced on Saturday.
Nurse becomes the third coach in franchise history to win the award, joining Dwane Casey and Sam Mitchell. Additionally, Nurse becomes the first coach in NBA history to win the NBA Coach of the Year honors and G-League Coach of the Year honors.
Nurse received 470 points votes from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, beating out Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks (147 points) and Billy Donovan of the Oklahoma City Thunder (134 points). Eric Spoelstra of the Miami Heat finished fourth in the voting, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers’ Frank Vogel and the Memphis Grizzlies Taylor Jenkins.
The Raptors weren't viewed as favorites to win the championship this season after superstar Kawhi Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. However, despite losing Leonard, Nurse guided the Raptors to a 53-19 record during the regular season, the second-best record in the NBA. Furthermore, the Raptors set a franchise record with a .736 winning percentage this season:
“When you see Nick on the sidelines, that’s who he is as a person. Relaxed, but so hard-working. Creative and dynamic. Always setting the tone for our team – attacking our next championship, rather than defending our last,” Raptors President Masai Ujiri said on Saturday. “That is who Nick is, that is why we believe in him. His journey to this tremendous honour has been a long one.”
The Raptors are currently on the verge of the second round of the playoffs as they're leading the Brooklyn Nets 3-0.
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