Breaking news: Lakers assign former warriors’ assistant coach Kenny Atkinson as there new head coach… Read more…
Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson is a candidate to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, according to the Athletic.
The Lakers dismissed head coach Darvin Ham on Friday in the wake of their first-round-playoff series loss to the Denver Nuggets. Ham had been L.A.’s head coach for two seasons, and as a rookie head coach in the 2022-23 season, his team eliminated the Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals before
losing to the eventual NBA champion Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.
Atkinson, 56, joined head coach Steve Kerr’s staff for the Warriors’ championship season of 2021-22. In the subsequent summer, Atkinson declined a head-coaching offer from the Charlotte Hornets. He was Golden State’s acting head coach for a 129-107 victory in February.
For four seasons (2016-20), Atkinson was head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, compiling a 118-190 record.
His tenure in Brooklyn was highlighted in 2018-19 with a playoff berth for an inexperienced team that changed its trajectory the ensuing offseason with the free-agent signings of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
But Atkinson and the Nets agreed to part ways during the 2019-20 season with Brooklyn owning a 28-34 record.
