San Antonio Spurs assistant coaches Ettore Messina and Ime Udoka have interviewed for the Toronto Raptors head coaching vacancy, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski’s report states that both Messina and Udoka met with Raptors team president Masai Ujiri on Thursday and Friday respectively as Toronto continues their search for a head coach after firing Dwane Casey earlier this month.
Messina continues to make the rounds after interviewing with Charlotte and Milwaukee earlier in the summer. The 58-year-old Italian coach has been a part of Gregg Popovich’s coaching staff since 2014 and coached the final three games of the 2018 NBA Playoffs following the death of Popovich’s wife, Erin.
Udoka has also been on the radar of teams during the offseason, having interviewed with Charlotte and Orlando. Udoka just finished his sixth season as a Spurs assistant and was the coach of the Spurs’ Summer League team in 2013 and 2014.
Meanwhile, San Antonio has already lost one of their assistants this offseason. James Borrego was hired by Charlotte after two rounds of interviews. Becky Hammon interviewed in Milwaukee and is reportedly gaining interest from the Detroit Pistons. The former WNBA veteran has spent four seasons with the Spurs as an assistant coach.
