Head coach Steve Nash’s time in Brooklyn has come to an end. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets and Nash have agreed to part ways following a 2-5 start.
The Nets fired Steve Nash, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 1, 2022
Assistant coach Jacque Vaughn will serve as acting head coach for Tuesday’s contest against the Chicago Bulls.
“Since becoming head coach, Steve was faced with a number of unprecedented challenges, and we are sincerely grateful for his leadership, patience, and humility throughout his tenure,” said Nets general manager Sean Marks.
Nash also released a statement on social media thanking the Nets organization.
“A very heartfelt thanks to Joe and Clara Tsai, along with Sean Marks, for giving me the opportunity to coach the Brooklyn Nets,” said Nash. “It was a pleasure to work with the players, performance team, and front office every day. I’m especially grateful to my coaching staff and video room, who are a talented group with so much character and professionalism.”
As Marks alluded, Nash dealt with significant challenges throughout his Nets tenure, primarily involving star players Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Reports surfaced in the offseason that Durant, amidst his then-trade request, called for Nash to be fired. This followed a 2021-22 campaign in which Irving missed most of the season due to his status as an unvaccinated player.
The off-court drama has continued into 2022-23, with Nash having to answer questions about a link to a movie shared by Irving that is antisemitic in nature.
“I just hope that we can all go through this together,” Nash said Monday. “There’s always an opportunity for us to grow and understand new perspectives. I think the organization is trying to take that stance where we can communicate through this. And try to all come out in a better position and both more understanding and more empathy for every side of this debate and situation.”
Nash ends his Brooklyn head coaching career with a 92-62 record across two seasons, qualifying for the postseason both times.
FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the Nets at +1300 odds to win the 2022-23 NBA Championship.
