Earlier this week it was reported that Golden State Warriors assistant and former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson has been named the new coach of the Charlotte Hornets.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news recently when Atkinson met with Hornets owner Michael Jordan, one day before Golden State’s win over the Boston Celtics in game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Atkinson came to the Nets after serving as an assistant for successful Hawks and Knicks teams. His career winning with the team was a mere 38%, but he did lead the team to the playoffs in the 2019 postseason.
Atkinson’s final season with the team was considerably better than his first, showing improvement throughout his career in Brooklyn. However, expectations were higher and ultimately the team let Atkinson go, where he bounced to the Clippers for a season before jumping over to Steve Kerr’s staff.
Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson has agreed to a four-year deal to become the new coach of the Charlotte Hornets, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 10, 2022
Atkinson was an essential member of the Warriors coaching staff this season, helping them to this year’s ongoing NBA Finals.
James Borrego just left the Hornets after only four seasons. Borrego inherited a rebuilding team and helped acquire some great young talent in his tenure.
Atkinson comes in with a roster full of athletic players with zero postseason experience, minus the team’s two play-in losses in back-to-back years.
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