Dave Joerger Taking Leave from 76ers to Undergo Treatment on Head, Neck Cancer

Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Dave Joerger is taking a leave of absence from the team to undergo treatment for a form of head and neck cancer, he told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 47-year-old will be leaving the team for "several weeks." He had been undergoing treatment while coaching for the past two weeks.

Joerger released an official statement shortly after the news was made public. Sixers head coach Doc Rivers and managing partner Josh Harris also released statements voicing support for Joerger:

He discussed the situation in an interview with Wojnarowski before Saturday's game against the Indiana Pacers:

"We have caught it early. 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 also told Wojnarowski that he first noticed a lump in his throat a little more than one year ago. The initial scan returned negative, but he continued to monitor the lump before undergoing another scan, which revealed the cancer.

Joerger decided to make his diagnosis public "to encourage people to pursue early detection," according to Wojnarowski.

The Minnesota native is in his second season as an assistant coach for the Sixers. He previously served as head coach of the Sacramento Kings from 2016-17 to 2018-19, accumulating a 98-148 record.

Joerger was also head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies from 2013-14 to 2015-16 after serving as an assistant coach for the franchise from 2007-08 to 2012-13. He went 147-99 in his three seasons as head coach of the Grizzlies and 9-13 in the playoffs.