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May 24 (UPI) -- Recently fired former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers is among the finalists to coach the Phoenix Suns after Monty Williams' dismissal. Sources told ESPN, The Athletic and Yahoo Sports that Rivers is being considered for the job. ESPN and the Athletic reported that Nick Nurse, Frank Vogel, Kevin Young and Jordi Fernandez are the other finalists.
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The Suns fired Williams on May 13, two days after they lost to the top-seeded Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs. Williams led the team to a 45-37 regular season record en route to the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.
Williams, 51, had a 194-115 with the Suns over four seasons. The team was 29-27 in the playoffs, including a run to the 2021 NBA Finals under Williams.
The 76ers fired Rivers on May 16, two days after they lost to the No. 2 Boston Celtics in the second-round of the playoffs. He had led the 76ers to a 54-28 record and the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. He had a 154-82 record over three seasons with Philadelphia.
Rivers, 61, has a 1,097-763 regular-season record in 24 years as an NBA head coach. He is 111-104 in the postseason, including his 2008 title run with the Boston Celtics, but lost in his last five Game 7s.
The Toronto Raptors fired Nurse in April after a 41-41 campaign. He led the Raptors to a title in 2019 and posted a 227-163 record over five seasons with the franchise. The 55-year-old coach led the Raptors to a 25-16 mark in the postseason.
The Los Angeles Lakers fired Vogel in April 2022 after a 33-49 season. Vogel, 49, led the Lakers to a title in 2020 and went 127-98 in three seasons with the franchise. He has a career 431-389 record, including previous stints with the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic.
Fernandez, 40, joined the Sacramento Kings staff in 2022 as an assistant. He worked as an assistant from 2016 to 2022 for the Denver Nuggets and previously worked in player development and coached at the G League level.
Young, 41, joined the Suns staff in 2020 as an assistant, workied as an assistant for the 76ers and coached at the G League and collegiate level.
