The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to hire Kenny Atkinson as their next head coach. (More Basketball News)
Atkinson will take over for J.B. Bickerstaff, who was fired after Cleveland was eliminated by the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics in five games in the🐬 second round of the post-season.
Atkinson, 57, wi🥂ll be an NBA head coach ꩵfor the second time after going 118-190 and making one play-off appearance with the Brooklyn Nets from 2016-20.
After stepping down as head coach of the Nets in March 2020, Atkinson was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers (2020-21) and Golden State Warriors (2021-24).
Bickerstꦐaff went 170-159 with Cleveland after taking over for John Beilein in 2020 and led the franchise to the play-offs in eaཧch of the last two seasons following a four-year post-season drought.
In early May, the Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic in seven games to win their first play-off serie🔴s since ♒reaching the 2018 NBA Finals.
It also𝔍 marked Cleveland's first trip to the Eastern Conference semi-finals without LeBron James on the roster since 1992-93.
