Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Dave Joerger is stepping away from the team in order to undergo treatments for Stage I cancer, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. He informed the Sixers of his diagnosis of cancer in his head-and-neck area Saturday night.
Joerger explained that he has already been receiving treatments for weeks but will have to leave the Sixers' sideline as the team embarks on a road trip.
“We have caught it early,” Joerger told ESPN. “I'm very lucky. I've got over a 90 percent chance of cure rate, but it's very scary and it's not enjoyable going through. …I can't go on the road and do radiation and chemotherapy in different cities around the country. To continue my treatment, I need to step away from the team.”
The Sixers' top assistant explained that he was alerted by a bump on his throat 15 months ago, received a negative scan and called his doctor weeks ago worried that it wasn't going away.
Joerger began his career as an NBA coach in 2007. He served as the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings for three years for each team and is in his second year as an assistant with Philadelphia.
The Sixers are experiencing this absence at a time when the roster is already depleted. Ben Simmons continues to be away from the team and Joel Embiid is out due to health and safety protocols. Several other starters have been in and out of the lineup in the past few games.
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