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.
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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.
