Warriors assistant Atkinson set to become Hornets’ next head coach
Kenny Atkinson spent one year on Steve Kerr's Warriors staff after head
coaching stint with Brooklyn Nets
>Kenny Atkinson of the Brooklyn Nets reacts to a call in the second
quarter against the Golden State Warriors during their game at Barclays
Center on November 19, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
>Kenny Atkinson of the Brooklyn Nets reacts to a call in the second
quarter against the Golden State Warriors during their game at Barclays
Center on November 19, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: June 10, 2022 at 3:42 p.m. | UPDATED: June 11, 2022 at 3:02 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/06/10/warriors-assistant-atkinson-set-to-become-hornets-next-head-coach/

BOSTON — The Warriors will lose a second assistant coach from their
bench when the NBA Finals end.

Kenny Atkinson will be the new head coach of the Charlotte Hornets,
signing a four-year deal, according to reports. Atkinson joined Steve
Kerr’s coaching staff this year as an assistant well versed in analytics
and player development.

After years as an NBA assistant, Atkinson was head coach of the Brooklyn
Nets from 2016 to 2020, when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving joined the
team. He helped the Nets move from the basement of the Eastern
Conference into the playoffs without much in the way of draft assets,
making them an attractive destination for stars like Durant and Irving.

Before coming to Golden State, Atkinson was an assistant to Los Angeles
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue in 2021.

Now he replaces fired coach James Borrego as head coach for a Hornets
team brimming with young talent, including 20-year-old guard Lamelo Ball.

Atkinson is the second Warriors assistant to take a vacant head coaching
job. During the Western Conference semifinals series against Memphis,
Mike Brown accepted the Sacramento Kings head coach position. Kerr
tested positive for COVID the day Brown was officially hired, forcing
Brown to take on acting head coach duties for Game 5 and the clinching
Game 6.

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--
Shayna Rubin | Oakland Athletics reporter