“We have caught it early and I’m very lucky” - Dave Joerger gives an update on his health condition as the Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach leaves the team to undergo chemotherapy

Philadelphia 76ers will continue operations without top coach Dave Joerger for several weeks after he announced to the team that he will be undergoing treatment for cancer in the coming weeks.

According to ESPN's Senior NBA writer, Adrian Wojnarowski, Dave will be unavailable for the Philadelphia 76ers as he has to undergo chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

"Philadelphia 76ers top assistant coach Dave Joerger is leaving the team for several weeks to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments for a form of 'head and neck' cancer."

According to reports, Dave has been showing up for treatment over the past couple of weeks but would need to step away from his official duties for a period following the Philadelphia 76ers' extended road trip.

Before he made the announcement public, a select few in the Philadelphia 76ers organization, including head coach Doc Rivers, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, and franchise owner Josh Harris knew. After their 113-118 loss to the Indiana Pacers, he broke the news to the players and staff of the organization.

While speaking to ESPN on The Woj Pod podcast, Joerger spoke on how lucky he is to catch it early, the success rate, and the reason he needs to step away from his duties as the assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.

"We have caught it early. I'm very lucky. I've got over a 90% 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 also talked about how he noticed something unusual and immediately called his doctor to check it out. Surprisingly, he first noticed a lump in his throat 15 months ago, but scans showed there was no cause for worry. However, it did not go away, prompting Dave to undergo another scan five weeks ago, where he got the bad news.

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A brief history of Philadelphia 76ers top assistant coach Dave Joerger

Joerger started his coaching career as far back as 1997 with the Dakota Wizards. After several years of bouncing around teams in minor leagues, he joined the Memphis Grizzlies as an assistant coach in 2007.

Six years later, he was promoted to head coach. In 2016, he was sacked despite signing a three-year contract in 2014. Immediately after the Grizzlies let him go, the Sacramento Kings offered him a contract.

Failure to qualify for the playoffs for three years led to another dismissal. Joerger's coaching career was halted until the Philadelphia 76ers offered him a job as Doc Rivers' assistant in 2020.

As head coach, Joerger has a .498 win percentage. He is known as a high-level offensive tactician, and that is the role he plays as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers franchise.

The entire Philadelphia 76ers organization is undoubtedly behind him as he undergoes treatment, and we all hope he gets a speedy recovery.