ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday afternoon reported the Philadelphia 76ers are hiring Mike Longabardi to be the head coach of their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. In a corresponding move first reported by PhillyVoice’s Kyle Neubeck, former Blue Coats head coach Coby Karl is “expected to join” 76ers’ head coach Nick Nurse’s coaching staff.
The 76ers are hiring Mike Longabardi as head coach of the franchise’s Delaware G League affiliate, sources tell ESPN. Longabardi is a 20-year NBA assistant coach.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 25, 2023
With Mike Longabardi expected to become Sixers’ G-League coach, as Woj already reported, a source says G-League coach Coby Karl is expected to join the Sixers’ staff under Nick Nurse
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) July 25, 2023
Longabardi has a wealth of coaching experience both at the collegiate ranks as well as in the NBA. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Pfeiffer University in 1996. He then transitioned over to Adelphi University, Lafayette College and Towson University before making it into the NBA as an assistant for the Houston Rockets in 2003. His other stops around the league included the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks. He has two championship rings from when he was with the Celtics in 2008 and the Cavaliers in 2016.
As a result of Longabardi’s hiring, Karl is receiving a well-deserved promotion up to the 76ers’ coaching staff. Karl has been the head coach down in Delaware since 2021. During his coaching tenure, the Blue Coats made it to the G League Finals in each of the previous two seasons, ultimately winning it last season. Karl, the son of NBA Hall of Famer George Karl, showed a ton of promise as a coach during his brief time in Delaware.
Karl, at just 40 years old, has the potential to become a key piece of Nurse’s 76ers coaching staff. However, Neubeck reports Karl’s “exact role on this new staff isn’t exactly clear yet.” Nurse has quietly built up a solid coaching staff that includes Rico Hines, Doug West, Bobby Jackson and Bryan Gates.
