Dwane Casey wins NBA Coach of the Year, thanks Raptors players (VIDEO)
Just six weeks after being fired by the Toronto Raptors, Dwayne Casey was named Coach of the Year at last night’s NBA Awards ceremony.
In what was no surprise to anyone who followed Casey’s career in Toronto, he delivered a classy and composed speech in which he thanked the core Raptors players of the past 4-5 years for helping him build the program to the point of reaching a franchise-record 59 wins this season.
“Those guys (DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry) – four-time All-Stars, Olympians – I’m so proud of what they’ve accomplished.”
See also
- Report: Former Raptors head coach Dwane Casey hired by Pistons
- Raptors fans react to team firing the Coach of the Year
- NBA coaches name Raptors' Dwane Casey Coach of the Year
Just days before being fired by the Raptors in early May, Casey was named Coach of the Year by all the other NBA coaches.
Casey was hired on June 21, 2011, and is the most successful coach in Raptors history, posting a 320-238 (.573) record in seven seasons. He oversaw the only three 50-win seasons in franchise history, including the aforementioned club-record 59-win season this year. With his guidance, the Raptors won four Atlantic Division titles, advanced to the playoffs in five consecutive seasons, and made it to the Eastern Conference Final in 2016.
Casey was recently hired as the new head coach of the Detroit Pistons.
You can watch his entire speech below:
“All the players in Toronto in the past four or five years… I’m so proud of them.” – Dwane Casey on being named the 2017-2018 Coach of the Year #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/fdNS1VNR7E
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 26, 2018
With files from Rob Willams