Add the 76ers to the list of NBA teams in search of a new head coach.
Philadelphia reportedly fired Doc Rivers on Tuesday, a mere two days after the Sixers were blown out in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Boston Celtics. Rivers’ tenure in the City of Brotherly Love proved to last only three seasons and the Sixers suffered a second-round playoff exit in each of those campaigns.
Minutes after reporting the news of Rivers’ dismissal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski followed up with Philadelphia’s initial shortlist of potential new coaches. According to the trusted NBA insider, the 76ers’ coaching search will include Mike Budenholzer, Sam Cassell, Mike D’Antoni, Frank Vogel and Monty Williams.
Budenholzer and Williams, who both coached in the 2021 NBA Finals, recently were fired after their respective teams suffered early 2023 playoff exits. Vogel hasn’t been an NBA head coach since the 2021-22 season, his final campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers, while D’Antoni hasn’t been at the helm of a coaching staff since 2020.
Hiring Cassell would mark an internal promotion for the former guard. The 53-year-old broke into the coaching ranks with the Washington Wizards in 2009 and then followed Rivers to Los Angeles and Philadelphia. The three-time NBA champion was a 76ers assistant for the entirety of River’s Philly tenure.
The Sixers might find themselves in stiff competition to hire their preferred option, whoever it may be. The Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons all currently have head-coaching vacancies, as well.
