How many head coaches have the Raptors had? Darko Rajakovic to join Nick Nurse, Dwane Casey on full list

Scott Rafferty

How many head coaches have the Raptors had? Darko Rajakovic to join Nick Nurse, Dwane Casey on full list image

The Raptors decided after the 2022-23 season that it was time to switch things up once again.

Despite having a lot of success as the team's head coach, the Raptors parted ways with Nick Nurse, opening up an opportunity for someone new to call the shots in Toronto.

That someone new? Darko Rajakovic, who is receiving their first opportunity to be a head coach in the NBA.

Despite being one of the youngest franchises in the league, the Raptors have had a number of head coaches over the last two decades. The team Rajakovic takes over will be looking to get back on track following a disappointing season that saw the Raptors lose in the Play-In Tournament.

MORE: Raptors enter an offseason full of questions and no clear answers

How many head coaches have the Raptors had?

Rajakovic marks the 10th head coach in Raptors history.

Brendan Malone became the franchise's first head coach in 1996. The longest-tenured coach is Dwane Casey, who was with the Raptors for a total of seven seasons. Sam Mitchell and Nick Nurse both spent five seasons in Toronto.

Casey, Mitchell and Nurse each won a Coach of the Year award with the Raptors. Nurse was the team's head coach in 2019 when the Raptors won their first-ever championship.

Here is the full list of Toronto's head coaches, including the years they were with the team and their records:

Coach Year(s) Regular season record Playoffs record
Brendan Malone 1996 21-61 0-0
Darrell Walker 1997-98 41-90 0-0
Butch Carter 1998-00 73-92 0-3
Lenny Wilkens 2001-03 113-133 8-9
Kevin O'Neill 2004 33-49 0-0
Sam Mitchell 2005-09 156-189 3-8
Jay Triano 2009-11 87-142 0-0
Dwane Casey 2012-18 320-238 21-30
Nick Nurse 2019-23 227-163 25-16
Darko Rajakovic 2023 0-0 0-0

Who was the previous head coach of the Raptors?

Nick Nurse preceded Rajakovic as head coach of the Raptors.

In Nurse's five seasons with the franchise, the Raptors posted a 227-163 record in the regular season and a 25-16 record in the playoffs. In addition to coaching the Raptors to the franchise's first title in 2019, he ranks second in regular-season wins and first in playoff wins.

At 25-16, Nurse is the only coach in Raptors history to have a winning record in the playoffs.

Scott Rafferty

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Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.