Pacers hire Raptors assistant Nate Bjorkgren as head coach

The Indiana Pacers have hired Nate Bjorkgren as head coach, the team announced Tuesday.

Bjorkgren (pronounced BEE-ork-gren) served as assistant coach of the Toronto Raptors during the past two seasons (2018-20), and helped the Raptors win their first NBA championship in the 2018-19 season. He also served as player development coordinator and assistant coach of the Phoenix Suns for two seasons from 2015-17 before joining the Raptors as an advance scout during the 2017-18 season.

“We are very pleased and excited to have Nate as our new coach,” said Kevin Pritchard, Pacers president of basketball operations. “This was an extensive and thorough search, and when we reached the conclusion, we felt strongly Nate is the right coach for us at the right time. He comes from a winning background, has experienced championship success, is innovative, and his communication skills along with his positivity are tremendous.”

PBjorkgren served as a head coach in the NBA G League for four seasons and compiled a 126-74 record (.630) with the Bakersfield Jam (2014-15), Iowa Energy (2013-14), Santa Cruz Warriors (2012-13) and Dakota Wizards (2011-12). He served as an assistant under current Raptors coach Nick Nurse for Iowa from 2007-11 and helped the Energy win the 2010-11 NBA G League championship.

“I am honored to take on the role as head coach of the Indiana Pacers,” Bjorkgren said. “This is something I have prepared for during my career. … I’m looking forward to working with this great team to achieve our goal as NBA champions.”

Bjorkgren, a native of Storm Lake, Iowa, played basketball at the University of South Dakota and Buena Vista University in Iowa.