Former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse thanked the city and the franchise in a farewell post on his charity's Instagram account on Friday.
Nurse, who was fired by the Raptors on April 21, was hired as the new head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.
The 55-year-old also said The Nick Nurse Foundation — which is "committed to improving the lives of children and young adults through music, sports, and literacy" according to the charity's website — will continue to provide for families and youths in Toronto.
"My family and I are forever grateful for the love and support you have shown us," Nurse wrote in the post. "Thank you to the city of Toronto, MLSE, (chairman) Larry Tanenbaum and the board and the entire Raptors organization. We will miss the people, the city, the country we've called home for the past 10 years.
"Through the foundation we will continue to support the community that has given us so much."
Nurse joined the Raptors as an assistant to head coach Dwane Casey in July, 2013.
He was promoted to head coach when the team fired Casey on June 14, 2018. In his first season at the helm, Nurse guided the franchise to its first NBA championship as the Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in six games during the 2019 NBA Finals.
Nurse earned the NBA Coach of the Year Award the following season.
He has also served as the head coach for the Canadian men's national team since 2019.
Nurse finished his tenure in Toronto with a 227-163 record over his five seasons and his .582 winning percentage is the best among all head coaches in franchise history.
He takes over for Doc Rivers, who was fired by the 76ers last month after losing to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Raptors have yet to name a replacement for Nurse.
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