After paying his legal fees, finishing his DUI classes and completing his community service, Atkins landed a new head coaching job in the AAU ranks. Now, he’s hoping to climb the coaching ladder once again. Atkins, who played for the Pistons from 2000-04 and in 2009-10, is one of 14 members in the NBA’s Assistant Coaches Program. Since 1988, the program has assisted former players in developing the tools to enter the NBA, G League and college coaching ranks. His goal is to “go to the top,” and become a head coach. “Everyone deserves a second chance, and I can tell a lot of these kids a lot of things that’ll help them, that’ll benefit them that a lot of other people can’t tell them, and they’ll listen to them,” he said. “Because I’ve been where they want to go.”