Lakers Granted Permission to Interview Former Nets Head Coach Kenny Atkinson
The interview carousel keeps turning for the Lakers. On Wednesday night, news broke that the Lakers have been granted permission by the Golden State Warriors to interview assistant coach Kenny Atkinson.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was one of the first to report the news.
Atkinson served as the head coach of the Nets for three full seasons (2016-2018) before resigning in the spring of 2020. Under Atkinson, the Nets steadily improved from Eastern Conference doormat to the sixth-seed in the 2019 playoffs with a roster headlined by Caris Lavert, D'Angelo Russell, and Spencer Dinwiddie.
2016-2017: 20-62
2017-2018: 28-54
2018-2019: 42-40 (Lost in 1st round of Eastern Conference Playoffs)
2019-2020: 28-34 (Resigned March 7th, 2020)
Atkinson began his NBA coaching career with New York Knicks in 2008 before joining Mike Budenholzer's staff in Atlanta in 2013. Before arriving in Golden State as one of the highest-paid assistants in the league, Atkinson spent on year with the Los Angeles Clippers.
