The Toronto Raptors created history, winning their first NBA championship in franchise history, just one year after firing head coach Dwane Casey, promoting his assistant Nick Nurse to the top job.

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Casey won a franchise-record 59 games and was named Coach of the Year in 2017/18 before being replaced, but he had nothing but praise for his former team, relishing watching some of his former players reach their ultimate goal. 

"It was exciting. It was good to see," said Casey, according to The Associated Press. "To see a guy like Kyle Lowry, kid like Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and those guys - Serge Ibaka, guys I coached - win. It was really thrilling, because I know that was a goal going in with that group, and to see them win it was great."

Casey spent seven seasons coaching the Raptors, overseeing their rise to becoming a perennial Eastern Conference contender.

"For that city to win a championship, it had to be thrilling for them," he added.

The 62-year-old signed a five-year contract with the Detroit Pistons last off-season, finishing with a 41-41 record in his first season in charge, losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks.