Nick Nurse is reportedly on the verge of becoming the new head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. As you might imagine, NBA fans had one easy joke to make immediately.
Nurse was let go by the Toronto Raptors in April after losing to the Chicago Bulls in the Play-In Tournament. Several weeks ago the 76ers parted ways with Doc Rivers after bowing out of the Eastern Conference Semifinals three years in a row.
Nurse and Rivers are both NBA champions – Nurse won a title with the Raptors in 2019 while Rivers won one with the Boston Celtics in 2008. But the thing that really connects the two for fans is their names.
Everyone on Twitter is making the joke that the Sixers have gone from a “doc” to a “nurse.” Thankfully, some users are calling out people who are making that horrible dad joke.
Sixers went from a Doc to a Nurse…. Dad laugh pic.twitter.com/U2hL52TlXr
— #GirlDad (@tjimenez23) May 29, 2023
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The 76ers fired a Doc, and replaced him with a Nurse.
— DocxRock🦅🇺🇸✝️ (@billyr09) May 29, 2023
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SIXERS WENT FROM A DOC TO A NURSE
— BetLabAnalytics (@BetLabAnalytics) May 29, 2023
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Anyone with experience in healthcare knows it’s Nurse > Doc
— Displaced Philly Sports Fan (@pvpal1221) May 29, 2023
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Nick Nurse led the Raptors to their first-ever NBA title in his first year at the helm. But following the departure of Kawhi Leonard in the ensuing offseason, the team struggled to come close to that same level of performance.
They made the playoffs twice in the next three years, winning nine postseason games.
Will Nick Nurse be able to take the 76ers to that next phase they’ve been so eager to reach?