PHOENIX SUNS
Report: 76ers fire Doc Rivers, Monty Williams a candidate for head coach
May 16, 2023, 8:58 AM | Updated: 9:06 am
Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers talks to his players during the first half of Game 1 in a second-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Houston Rockets, Monday, May 4, 2015, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Philadelphia 76ers dismissed head coach Doc Rivers following three seasons, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Rivers went 154-82 in Philadelphia.
Wojnarowski adds that former Phoenix Suns head coaches Monty Williams and Mike D’Antoni are among a group of candidates that includes Mike Budenholzer, Sam Cassell, Nick Nurse and Frank Vogel.
The news of Philadelphia’s interest in Williams comes after the ex-Suns head coach was fired Saturday on the heels of his fourth season in the Valley that ended with a second-round loss to the Denver Nuggets.
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Williams is also reportedly garnering interest from the Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Williams and Rivers join Budenholzer (Bucks) and Nurse (Raptors) as coaches that have been shown the door this year. The Houston Rockets also made a change, opting against picking up Stephen Silas’ option for 2023-24, while former Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey resigned to take a front office role with the team.
Williams made an impact in a hurry during his Phoenix tenure, turning a bottom-of-the-barrel Suns team into a legit playoff contender in just two seasons, highlighted by an NBA Finals berth.
He also earned NBA Coach of the Year honors in 2021-22.
