DES MOINES, Iowa — The Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves are officially in town, preparing for their Friday exhibition NBA matchup at Wells Fargo Arena.
The 76ers practiced Thursday at Grand View University, where Carroll, Iowa native and 76ers head coach Nick Nurse became the youngest college basketball coach in history at the age of 23 years old.
Nurse, who played for the University of Northern Iowa, began his full-time coaching career at Grand View, coached the NBA D-League Iowa Energy before they became the G-League Wolves before working his way up the NBA.
He began in the NBA as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors in 2013, becoming their head coach in 2018 and soon after helped win the team's first championship in 2019.
In June 2023, Nurse joined the 76ers as head coach, finishing his first season in Philly with a 47-35 record and a first-round playoffs loss.