The Philadelphia 76ers will be without assistant coach Dave Joerger for at least the next few weeks as he undergoes treatment for head and neck cancer. Joerger has Stage 1 cancer and has already been undergoing treatments, and will not be able to travel with the team on their upcoming road trip.
Joerger said his doctors caught the cancer early and he has a good prognosis for recovery, but this is obviously still a scary situation.
“We have caught it early,” Joerger said during an appearance on “The Woj Pod” with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “I’m very lucky. I’ve got over a 90 percent chance of cure rate, but it’s very scary and it’s not enjoyable going through. …I can’t go on the road and do radiation and chemotherapy in different cities around the country. To continue my treatment, I need to step away from the team.”
Joerger said he discovered a lump in his neck over a year ago. Though scans initially came back clean, he stayed vigilant and new scans last month discovered the cancer. He said wanted to tell his story to encourage others to stay on top of their health and alert their doctor when they notice something wrong. “You’ve got to take action,” Joerger said.
After years of grinding away in the minor leagues, Joerger got his NBA break with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2007, when he joined as an assistant. He took over as head coach of the Grizzlies in 2013, and took the team to the playoffs in three straight seasons. After being fired in 2016, he then took over as head coach of the Sacramento Kings, and spent three frustrating seasons there.
Ahead of last season, he joined the Sixers as an assistant under head coach Doc Rivers, who he thanked for supporting him through this process. The Sixers began a six-game road trip on Saturday night, and will not be back at home until Nov. 27 for a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Joerger will not be with the team until that game at the earliest.
