Kenny Atkinson

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

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.

Kenny Atkinson

Atkinson as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets in 2018
Cleveland Cavaliers
Position	Head coach
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1967-06-02) June 2, 1967 (age 57) Northport, New York, U.S.
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 a 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 a 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 NBA champion (2022) As head coach NBCA Coach of the Year (2025) NBA All-Star Game head coach (2025)

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