"We want to speak to as many qualified candidates as possible and certainly Bill Laimbeer's credentials as a player and success as a coach - including three championships in six seasons in the WNBA - speaks for itself," general manager Ed Stefanski said. "We want to thank Bill for meeting with us."
Mitchell coached the Raptors for four full seasons and was the NBA coach of the year in 2006-07. He was fired 17 games into the 2008-09 season.
"Sam has been a successful head coach in the league, having been named coach of the year in 2007, and we were very interested in speaking with him," Stefanski said. "It was good to sit down with him to exchange ideas about our team and this opportunity."
The 76ers also have talked to Avery Johnson and Doug Collins. They fired Eddie Jordan last month after the team went 27-55 in his lone season.
