The Indiana Pacers officially appointed Nate Bjorkgren as their new head coach. In his introductory press conference, the former Raptors’ assistant talked on what drove him to accept the Pacers’ job.
“I had wanted this job so bad because of the talent on this team, the work ethic in these players and this organization,” Bjorkgren said, per the official site of the Indiana Pacers. “But man, after last night and today and talking to them on the phone and exchanging text messages… It gets me even more excited.”
Bjorken was part of Nick Nurse’s staff in Toronto, helping the franchise win its first NBA championship in 2019. The Pacers’ new head coach called the roster “ready”, while he admitted he talked to several players the last 24 hours.
“This team is ready. They’re great basketball players, but they’re even better people. Just talking to them on the phone and getting to know them even a little bit more in the last 24 hours has been special to me.”
Prior to his tenure as an NBA assistant, Bjorkgren served as a head coach in the NBA G-League for four seasons and compiled a 126-74 record with the Bakersfield Jam (2014-15), Iowa Energy (2013-14), Santa Cruz Warriors (2012-13), and Dakota Wizards (2011-12).
