unbelievable: Ben Slingerland, the former head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, announced his return.
After the Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, Brett Brown was fired as their head coach.
After taking over as head coach of the Sixers in 2013, Brown guided the team through a period of transitional rebuilding known as the “Process” before leading the team to three consecutive postseason runs.
In the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Boston Celtics defeated the Sixers 4-0 on Sunday, and Brown was relieved of his responsibilities a day later.
Brown’s departure was confirmed by Sixers general manager Elton Brand, who also stated that the team would start looking for a new head coach right away.
According to a statement from Brown, “I was hired to lead one of the most dramatic rebuilds in professional sports history in 2013.” Our coaches and players have developed over the last seven years, and I am extremely grateful to the 102 players I have had the privilege of coaching.
“While I am appreciative of my coaching staff and their commitment to our shared objective, I am also pleased to see that three of my former assistants are now, quite rightly, head coaches in the NBA and one major college.
“Finally, I want to thank current GM Elton Brand, who I worked and coached for, the ownership group led by Josh Harris and David Blitzer, former GM Sam Hinkie, the 76ers’ historic alumni, and our ardent fans.
“The 76ers are fortunate to have a high-character talent in him. I truly hope for the best for him, the players, and the incoming coaching staff as they strive to win an NBA championship.”
Last season, Brown led the Sixers to the Eastern Conference semi-finals, where they were defeated by the Toronto Raptors, the eventual champions, in a pivotal game 7 that ended on a buzzer-beater by Kawhi Leonard.
With All-Star tandem Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons still developing, expectations were high for the 2019–20 season. However, an injury to Simmons prior to the playoffs dealt a severe blow to the Sixers’ postseason hopes.
“I have a tremendous level of respect for Brett both personally and professionally and appreciate all he’s done for the 76ers organisation and the City of Philadelphia,” Brand stated.
“He developed young talent and helped position our team for three consecutive postseason appearances, among many other positive things he accomplished while he was here. We regrettably failed to meet our objectives this year, and I think it would be best to take a different approach.
“This will be an important offseason for us as we look to get back on track towards our goal of competing for an NBA championship.”
