Kenny Atkinson

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For the English chef, see Kenny Atkinson (chef).

Kenny Atkinson
Atkinson as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets in 2018
Cleveland Cavaliers
PositionHead coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1967-06-02) June 2, 1967 (age 57)
Northport, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolSt. Anthony's
(South Huntington, New York)
CollegeRichmond (1986–1990)
NBA draft1990: undrafted
Playing career1990–2004
PositionPoint guard
Coaching career2004–present
Career history
As a player:
1990–1991Wichita Falls Texans
1991Long Island Surf
1991–1992Wichita Falls Texans
1993–1995Real Canoe NC
1995Vino de Toro Zamora
1995–1996Baloncesto Salamanca
1996–1997Calpe Aguas de Valencia
1997–1998Pasta Baronia Napoli
1998–1999SG Braunschweig
1999–2000Montpellier Paillade Basket
2000–2001AS Golbey Épinal
2001FC Mulhouse Basket
2001–2002Hermine de Nantes Atlantique
2002ALM Évreux Basket
2003DJK Würzburg
2003Demon Astronauts
2003–2004Hermine de Nantes Atlantique
As a coach:
2004–2006Paris Basket Racing (assistant)
2008–2012New York Knicks (assistant)
2012–2016Atlanta Hawks (assistant)
2016–2020Brooklyn Nets
2020–2021Los Angeles Clippers (assistant)
2021–2024Golden State Warriors (assistant)
2024–presentCleveland Cavaliers
Career highlights and awards
As assistant coach
As head coach

Kenneth Neil Atkinson (born June 2, 1967) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was previously the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets from 2016 to 2020. Atkinson was born in Huntington, New York and played college basketball for University of Richmond leading the Spiders team to an appearance in the 1988 NCAA Division I tournament.

Playing career

Atkinson averaged 18.9 points per game during his senior season at Richmond[1][2] and played professionally in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and United States Basketball League (USBL) from 1990 to 1992. He then went to play overseas in Italy,[3] France,[4] Germany,[5][6] Spain,[7] and the Netherlands[8][9] from 1993 to 2004. He had tryouts with several NBA teams including the New York Knicks in summer of 1991. He was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.

NBA coaching career

Atkinson joined the New York Knicks coaching staff as an assistant coach under Mike D'Antoni on August 6, 2008.[10]

In 2012, after four seasons with the Knicks, he joined the Atlanta Hawks coaching staff under Mike Budenholzer. On April 17, 2016, it was announced that Atkinson would become the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets after the Hawks' season ended.[11]

Brooklyn Nets (2016–2020)

Atkinson made his NBA head coaching debut on October 26, 2016, in a 122–117 loss to the Boston Celtics.[12] He got his first win as an NBA head coach two days later when the Nets defeated the Indiana Pacers 103–94.[13] The Nets finished the season with a 20–62 record, with a 0–10 record in February 2017.

Brook Lopez left the team in Atkinson's second season; Lopez was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in an off-season deal. The Nets were competitive for the early part of the season before going 1–9 in February, ending any chance to be in the playoffs. They finished the season with a 28–54 record, which was an eight-game improvement from the previous season.

In Atkinson's third season with the Nets he led the team to a 42–40 record, winning 14 games more than the previous season, and a playoff berth with the sixth seed. The Nets lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in five games in the first round of the playoffs.

In Atkinson's fourth season with the Nets he led the team to a 28–34 record, before stepping down as head coach on March 7, 2020.[14]

Los Angeles Clippers (2020–2021)

On November 16, 2020, Atkinson was hired as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers under head coach Tyronn Lue.[15]

Golden State Warriors (2021–2024)

On August 13, 2021, the Golden State Warriors hired Atkinson as an assistant coach.[16] He won his first NBA championship as the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in six games in the 2022 NBA Finals. During the NBA Finals, the Charlotte Hornets offered Atkinson the position of head coach,[17] but he reportedly turned it down after informally agreeing to take the job.[18][19] On February 12, 2024, Atkinson coached the Warriors to a 129–107 victory against the Utah Jazz while head coach Steve Kerr attended Dejan Milojević's funeral in Serbia.[20][21]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2024–present)

On June 28, 2024, Atkinson was hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers as head coach.[22] The Cavaliers started the 2024–25 season with one of the longest winning streaks in NBA history, winning their first 15 games, which made Atkinson the only head coach in NBA history to win the first 15 games to start a tenure with a franchise, as Cleveland would not suffer their first loss until November 19 on the road against the defending champion, the Boston Celtics.[23][24]

In April 2025, Atkinson was honored with the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award, because under his leadership, the Cavaliers achieved a 64–18 record, tying for the league's best regular-season performance.[25]

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Brooklyn 2016–17 82 20 62 .244 5th in Atlantic — — — — Missed playoffs
Brooklyn 2017–18 82 28 54 .341 5th in Atlantic — — — — Missed playoffs
Brooklyn 2018–19 82 42 40 .512 4th in Atlantic 5 1 4 .200 Lost in first round
Brooklyn 2019–20 62 28 34 .452 (resigned) — — — — —
Cleveland 2024–25 82 64 18 .780 1st in Central 2 2 0 1.000
Career 390 182 208 .467   7 3 4 .429  

References

  1. ^ "Ken Atkinson (2010) - Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame". University of Richmond Athletics. Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  2. ^ "Ken Atkinson College Stats". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2025. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  3. ^ "Lega Basket Serie A stats". Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  4. ^ "Joueur - Kenny Atkinson". LNB.fr (in French). Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  5. ^ "BBL stats 2003". Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  6. ^ "BBL stats 1998–99". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  7. ^ "Liga ACB profile". Archived from the original on June 16, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  8. ^ "Kenny Atkinson Basketbal statistieken Spelers Dossier - NBB Database, basketball statistieken". db.basketball.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on December 1, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  9. ^ "Kenny Atkinson - EuroLeague". euroleaguebasketball.net. Archived from the original on April 6, 2025. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  10. ^ "Knicks Name Atkinson Assistant Coach". NBA.com. August 6, 2008. Archived from the original on February 22, 2025. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  11. ^ "Brooklyn Nets Name Kenny Atkinson Head Coach". NBA.com. April 17, 2016. Archived from the original on February 21, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  12. ^ "Thomas scores 25, Celtics fight off Nets 122–117". ESPN.com. October 26, 2016. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  13. ^ "Lin leads Nets past Pacers, 103–94 in home opener". USAToday.com. October 28, 2016. Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  14. ^ "Brooklyn Nets and Kenny Atkinson Mutually Agree to Part Ways". NBA.com. March 7, 2020. Archived from the original on March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  15. ^ "LA Clippers Finalize Coaching Staff For 2020–21 Season". NBA.com. November 16, 2020. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  16. ^ "Warriors Announce Coaching Staff Additions". NBA.com. August 13, 2021. Archived from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  17. ^ "Charlotte Hornets to hire Kenny Atkinson as new head coach, sources say". ESPN.com. June 10, 2022. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  18. ^ Cwik, Chris (June 18, 2022). "Kenny Atkinson reportedly backs out of Hornets head coaching job to stay with Warriors". sports.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  19. ^ Helin, Kurt (June 18, 2022). "Report: Kenny Atkinson changes mind, turns down Hornets coaching job to stay with Warriors". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  20. ^ Herbert, James (February 12, 2024). "Report: Warriors' Steve Kerr attends Dejan Milojevic's funeral in Serbia; Kenny Atkinson to coach vs. Jazz on Monday". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  21. ^ "Thompson scores 26, Curry has five 3s in the 4th as Warriors beat Jazz 129-107 without Kerr". ESPN. February 12, 2024. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  22. ^ "Cavs Hire Kenny Atkinson as Head Coach". NBA.com. June 28, 2024. Archived from the original on June 29, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  23. ^ Fedor, Chris (November 17, 2024). "Cavs show off depth without Donovan Mitchell in 128-114 win over Hornets, improve record to 15-0". cleveland.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  24. ^ Golen, Jimmy (November 19, 2024). "Celtics hand Cavaliers first loss of season, winning 120-117 to end Cleveland's 15-game win streak". AP News. Archived from the original on November 21, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  25. ^ Official release (April 19, 2025). "Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson named NBCA Coach of the Year". NBA. Retrieved April 24, 2025.