Steve Nash Interviewed For Raptors’ Coaching Job

Former Nets head coach Steve Nash interviewed for the Raptors‘ head coaching vacancy, according to Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The Nets went 94-67 (.584) in Nash’s two-plus regular seasons at the helm, including a 7-9 (.438) record in the postseason. He was fired following a 2-5 start to the 2022/23 season.

An eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA member, five-time assist leader and a two-time league MVP as a player, Nash was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018. The 49-year-old also claimed a spot on the 75th Anniversary Team in 2021, earning recognition as one of the greatest players in league history.

Nash, who is Canadian, also played for — and was previously the general manager of — the country’s men’s national team. Obviously, that’s noteworthy due to Toronto being the lone NBA team located in Canada.

After his NBA playing days ended, Nash became a part-time consultant for the Warriors. He had no previous coaching experience prior to being named head coach of the Nets in 2020, so it was a surprising hire.

Brooklyn finished as the No. 2 seed in the East in Nash’s first season at the helm in ’20/21, losing a second-round playoff series to the eventual champion Bucks in seven games. The Nets went 44-38 in ’21/22 and entered the postseason as the No. 7 seed after a controversy- and injury-filled season. They were swept in the first round by the Celtics, who went on to make the Finals.

As Charania notes, the Raptors have undertaken an expansive search for a new head coach after firing Nick Nurse, who is now a finalist for the Bucks’ vacancy. According to our tracker, Nash is the 13th candidate either expected to or confirmed to have met with the team.

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