Kenny Atkinson
Cleveland Cavaliers | |
---|---|
Position | Head coach |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | Northport, New York, U.S. | June 2, 1967
Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | St. Anthony's (South Huntington, New York) |
College | Richmond (1986–1990) |
NBA draft | 1990: undrafted |
Playing career | 1990–2004 |
Position | Point guard |
Coaching career | 2004–present |
Career history | |
As player: | |
1990–1991 | Wichita Falls Texans |
1991 | Long Island Surf |
1991–1992 | Wichita Falls Texans |
1993–1995 | Real Canoe NC |
1995 | Vino de Toro Zamora |
1995–1996 | Baloncesto Salamanca |
1996–1997 | Calpe Aguas de Valencia |
1997–1998 | Pasta Baronia Napoli |
1998–1999 | SG Braunschweig |
1999–2000 | Montpellier Paillade Basket |
2000–2001 | AS Golbey Épinal |
2001 | FC Mulhouse Basket |
2001–2002 | Hermine de Nantes Atlantique |
2002 | ALM Évreux Basket |
2003 | DJK Würzburg |
2003 | Demon Astronauts |
2003–2004 | Hermine de Nantes Atlantique |
As coach: | |
2004–2006 | Paris Basket Racing (assistant) |
2008–2012 | New York Knicks (assistant) |
2012–2016 | Atlanta Hawks (assistant) |
2016–2020 | Brooklyn Nets |
2020–2021 | Los Angeles Clippers (assistant) |
2021–2024 | Golden State Warriors (assistant) |
2024–present | Cleveland Cavaliers |
Career highlights and awards | |
As assistant 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 to a Sweet Sixteen berth in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 1988.
Playing career
[edit]Atkinson averaged 18.9 points per game during his senior season at Richmond[1][2] and played professionally in the CBA and USBL in the US from 1990 to 1992, and then overseas in Italy,[3] France,[4][5] Germany,[6][7] Spain,[8] and the Netherlands[9][10] from 1993 to 2004. He had tryouts with several NBA teams including the Knicks in summer of 1991. He was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.
NBA coaching career
[edit]Atkinson joined the New York Knicks coaching staff as an assistant coach under Mike D'Antoni on August 6, 2008.[11]
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 become the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets after the Hawks' season ended.[12]
Brooklyn Nets (2016–2020)
[edit]Atkinson made his NBA head coaching debut on October 26, 2016, in a 122–117 loss to the Boston Celtics.[13] He got his first win as an NBA head coach two days later when the Nets defeated the Indiana Pacers 103–94.[14] 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.[15]
Los Angeles Clippers (2020–2021)
[edit]On November 16, 2020, Atkinson was hired as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers under head coach Tyronn Lue.[16]
Golden State Warriors (2021–2024)
[edit]On August 13, 2021, the Golden State Warriors hired Atkinson as an assistant coach.[17] 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,[18] but he reportedly turned it down after informally agreeing to take the job.[19][20] 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.[21][22]
Cleveland Cavaliers (2024–present)
[edit]On June 28, 2024, Atkinson was hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the head coach.[23] The Cavs started the 2024 season with one of the longest winning streaks in NBA history, going 15-0 in their first 15 games, which makes Atkinson the only head coach in NBA history to win the first 15 games to start a tenure with a franchise.[24]
Head coaching record
[edit]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 | 17 | 16 | 1 | .941 | Central | |||||
Career | 325 | 134 | 191 | .412 | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Ken Atkinson (2010) - Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame". University of Richmond Athletics. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ "Ken Atkinson College Stats". Sports-reference.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ "Lega Basket Serie A stats". Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ LNB profile
- ^ basketinfo.com profile
- ^ "BBL stats 2003". Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ "BBL stats 1998–99". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ "Liga ACB profile". Archived from the original on June 16, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ NBB stats
- ^ ULEB Cup stats
- ^ "Knicks Name Atkinson Assistant Coach". NBA.com. August 6, 2008. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
- ^ "Brooklyn Nets Name Kenny Atkinson Head Coach". NBA.com. April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
- ^ "Thomas scores 25, Celtics fight off Nets 122–117". ESPN.com. October 26, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
- ^ "Lin leads Nets past Pacers, 103–94 in home opener". USAToday.com. October 28, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
- ^ "Brooklyn Nets and Kenny Atkinson Mutually Agree to Part Ways". NBA.com. March 7, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- ^ "LA Clippers Finalize Coaching Staff For 2020–21 Season". NBA.com. November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ "Warriors Announce Coaching Staff Additions". NBA.com. August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
- ^ "Charlotte Hornets to hire Kenny Atkinson as new head coach, sources say". ESPN.com. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ Cwik, Chris (June 18, 2022). "Kenny Atkinson reportedly backs out of Hornets head coaching job to stay with Warriors". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ Helin, Kurt (June 18, 2022). "Report: Kenny Atkinson changes mind, turns down Hornets coaching job to stay with Warriors". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ 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. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ "Thompson scores 26, Curry has five 3s in the 4th as Warriors beat Jazz 129-107 without Kerr". ESPN. February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ "Cavs Hire Kenny Atkinson as Head Coach". NBA.com. June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ "Cavs show off depth without Donovan Mitchell in 128-114 win over Hornets, improve record to 15-0".
External links
[edit]- NBA.com Profile
- Profile at Eurobasket.com
- 1967 births
- Living people
- People from Huntington, New York
- People from Northport, New York
- Amsterdam Basketball players
- ALM Évreux Basket players
- American expatriate basketball people in France
- American expatriate basketball people in Germany
- American expatriate basketball people in Italy
- American expatriate basketball people in the Netherlands
- American expatriate basketball people in Spain
- American men's basketball coaches
- American men's basketball players
- Atlanta Hawks assistant coaches
- Basketball coaches from New York (state)
- Basketball players from New York (state)
- Brooklyn Nets head coaches
- Cleveland Cavaliers head coaches
- Golden State Warriors assistant coaches
- Dutch Basketball League players
- FC Mulhouse Basket players
- Liga ACB players
- Montpellier Paillade Basket players
- New York Knicks assistant coaches
- Partenope Napoli Basket players
- Point guards
- Richmond Spiders men's basketball players
- Sportspeople from Suffolk County, New York
- Wichita Falls Texans players