Article content

It’s the end of an era. The best coach in Toronto Raptors history is out.

Dwane Casey was fired by team president Masai Ujiri on Friday morning, a move that had been expected even though Casey might win NBA coach of the year honours and has been at the helm during the best run in franchise history.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 'Necessary step': Raptors fire coach Dwane Casey Back to video

“After careful consideration, I have decided this is a very difficult but necessary step the franchise must take,” Ujiri said, hours before he was set to meet the media for a debrief. “As a team, we are constantly trying to grow and improve in order to get to the next level.

“We celebrate everything Dwane has done for the organization, we thank him, and we wish him nothing but the best in future. He was instrumental in creating the identity and culture of who we are as a team, and we are so proud of that.”

Earlier this week, the 61-year-old had been named coach of the year by the NBA Coaches Association.