The Golden State Warriors will lose another assistant coach for the new season. According to media reports, Kenny Atkinson will be the new head coach of the Charlotte Hornets.
According to Shams Charania (The Athletic) Atkinson succeeds James Borrego, who was somewhat surprisingly fired by the Hornets after missing the playoffs. Borrego had led Charlotte to the Play-In Tournament twice in a row, but suffered hefty defeats there each time.
Now Atkinson can try, the 55-year-old already has head coaching experience. From 2016 to 2020, Atkinson coached and helped rebuild the Brooklyn Nets. Among other things, he surprisingly led a young team around Spencer Dinwiddie, D’Angelo Russell, Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen into the playoffs, but then had to retire in March 2020 after a disappointing season (28-34 at that point).
Atkinson will sign a four-year contract in the Queen City, while Mike D’Antoni, who was also traded, went away empty-handed. Charlotte has now missed the playoffs six times in a row, while Borrego has had a 138-163 record over four seasons.
The Warriors, on the other hand, lose another assistant coach. A few weeks ago, Mike Brown reached an agreement with the Sacramento Kings, and now Atkinson is leaving head coach Steve Kerr’s staff after the NBA Finals.
