Kenny Atkinson


Kenneth Neil Atkinson is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. He previously served as the Director of Player Development for the Houston Rockets in 2007–08. Born in Huntington, New York, Atkinson played college basketball for University of Richmond, where he led the Spiders to a Sweet Sixteen berth in 1988.

Playing career

Atkinson played professionally in Italy, France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands from 1990 to 2004. He had tryouts with several NBA teams, including the Knicks in summer of 1991. He was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame during 2020.

NBA coaching career

Atkinson joined the New York Knicks coaching staff as an assistant coach under Mike D'Antoni on August 6, 2008.
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 take the head coach job with the Brooklyn Nets once the Hawks' season came to an end.

Brooklyn Nets

Atkinson made his NBA head coaching debut on October 26, 2016, in a 122–117 loss to the Boston Celtics. Atkinson would get his first win as an NBA head coach two nights later as the Nets defeated the Indiana Pacers 103–94. The Nets finished the season with a 20–62 record, while also recording a 0–10 record in February 2017.
Atkinson's second season with the Nets saw the departure of Brook Lopez, who was traded in an off-season deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nets were competitive for the early part of the season, before another February fall saw the team go 1–9, ending any chance at a playoff berth. The Nets finished the season with a 28–54 record, which was an eight-game improvement over the previous season.
Atkinson's third season with the Nets saw him lead the team to a 42−40 record, which was a 14-game improvement over the previous season, and a playoff berth as the sixth seed. The Nets lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs in five games.
Atkinson stepped down as head coach of the Nets on March 7, 2020.

Head coaching record