FILE – Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan scratches his head during their game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on January 02, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
The Atlanta Hawks fired head coach Nate McMillan on Tuesday.
The Hawks own a 29-30 record to reside in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
Joe Prunty, 54, will serve as the interim head coach of the Hawks. He was 21-16 as the interim coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018.
“I would like to thank Nate for his leadership and professionalism during his time with the Hawks,” general manager Landry Fields said. “He is truly a class act, and we appreciate the graciousness and work ethic he brought with him every day.
“Decisions like these, especially in-season, are always extremely difficult, but we believe it’s in the best interest of our team to move forward with another voice leading the way.”
McMillan, 58, has been the Hawks’ coach since taking over after Lloyd Pierce’s firing during the 2020-21 season. He led fifth-seeded Atlanta to the Eastern Conference finals that season and was given a four-year contract.
McMillan posted a 99-80 record as Atlanta’s head coach over parts of the last three seasons. He owns a 760-668 mark as coach of the Seattle SuperSonics (2000-05), Portland Trail Blazers (2005-12), Indiana Pacers (2016-20) and Hawks.
ESPN and The Athletic reported that former Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder was viewed as a top candidate for the Hawks’ opening. Snyder was an assistant in Atlanta for one season before coaching the Jazz from 2014-22.