Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse stepped away from the team Tuesday, May 5 so he could attend the funeral of his older brother.

The 76ers coach flew home to Iowa after the loss against the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the NBA conference semifinals following the death of his older brother, Steve Nurse, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. Nurse’s brother reportedly died “unexpectedly” on April 29 before Game 6 between the 76ers and the Boston Celtics in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Steve Nurse, who was 62 years old, was the longtime athletic equipment manager for the University of Northern Iowa.

According to The Athletic, the 76ers held a film session but no practice Tuesday afternoon.

Nurse is expected to rejoin the organization in New York Tuesday evening. Game 2 against the Knicks is Wednesday at Madison Square Garden at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Nurse has coached the Sixers for three seasons, beginning with the 2023-24 season, and has taken the team to the playoffs twice, including this year. Nurse began his head coaching career with the Raptors in 2018-19 after five years as assistant in Toronto. He led the Raptors to their first NBA title in his first season with the team.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nick Nurse away from Philadelphia 76ers for older brother’s funeral