Assistant coach Kenny Atkinson of the Golden State Warriors reacts against the Boston Celtics during the first quarter in Game Six of the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 16, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. Elsa/Getty Images/AFP
Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, previously tabbed as the Charlotte Hornets’ top choice for their head coaching vacancy, has elected to stay with Golden State, per a report from ESPN.
The 55-year-old Atkinson just helped the Warriors win their fourth NBA championship in eight years, defeating the Boston Celtics 103-90 in Game 6 Thursday night to take the series 4-2.
Atkinson has been an assistant under head coach Steve Kerr for just one season. Prior to that he was the head coach for the Brooklyn Nets from 2016-20, compiling a record of 118-190. He was also an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020-21.
The Hornets will go back to the drawing board after previously settling on Atkinson as their top choice to replace former coach James Borrego, who went 138-163 in four seasons.
Longtime NBA coach Mike D’Antoni was another finalist for the open position, according to ESPN, and may be so again.
The Hornets are in the midst of a six-year playoff drought. They went 43-39 last season but lost a play-in game against the Atlanta Hawks 132-103 to miss the playoffs.