Indiana Pacers hire Toronto Raptors assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren as new head coach

Gilbert McGregor

Indiana Pacers hire Toronto Raptors assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren as new head coach image

The Indiana Pacers have found their new head coach.

The team today announced that Toronto Raptors assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren has been tabbed as its new lead man, ending a coaching search that lasted nearly two months.

Bjorkgren, 45, spent the last two seasons as an assistant on Nick Nurse's staff with the Raptors.

In a statement released from the Raptors official account, Nurse said "I'll miss having (Nate) next to me on our bench, and I know the Raptors players and staff will miss working with him every day. With Nate, the Pacers are getting someone who is ready to lead an NBA team, who is always prepared and is super-positive, who knows what it takes to win a championship, at any level, and is willing to put in the work to get there."

Bjorkgren himself also took the time out to share a tweet in appreciation of Nurse and the Raptors organization.

Prior to his time in Toronto, Bjorkgren served as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns from 2015-17. He spent the 2014-15 season as a head coach of the Suns' then-G League affiliate Bakersfield Jam. During his time in Bakersfield and Phoenix, Bjorkgren worked with prolific Pacers wing T.J. Warren, who began his career with the Suns in 2014.

In total, Bjorkgren spent four seasons as a head coach in the NBA G League.

Nate Bjorkgren's G League Coaching Record
Season Team Record PCT
2011-12 Dakota Wizards 29-21 .580
2012-13 Santa Cruz Warriors 32-18 .640
2013-14 Iowa Energy 31-19 .620
2014-15 Bakersfield Jam 34-16 .680
TOTAL   126-74 .630

Bjorkgren assumes the lead of a Pacers team that earned the East's No. 4 seed with a 45-28 record in the shortened 2019-20 NBA season. Despite their regular-season successes, injuries led to Indiana suffering an opening-round sweep at the hands of the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Miami Heat.  

With a solid foundation in place, Bjorkgren will be tasked with bringing postseason success to the Pacers, a franchise that has not won a postseason series since 2014 despite qualifying for the playoffs in each of the last five seasons.

Stick with NBA.com for more information on the developing situation.

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Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.