After 5 seasons with J.B. Bickerstaff as head coach, the Cavs fired him following the 2023-24 season. Cleveland had an in depth seek for their subsequent head coach and employed Kenny Atkinson.
In his first season as head coach of the Cavaliers, the crew went 64-18. That was the perfect file within the Japanese Convention, and Cleveland is the #1 seed within the East playoffs. On Monday night, Kenny Atkinson was named the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Yr. He’s had an extremely profitable first season with Cleveland.
Kenny Atkinson is the 2024-25 Coach of the Yr
YOUR 2024-25 NBA COACH OF THE YEAR, KENNY ATKINSON. #LetEmKnow
FULL DETAILS: https://t.co/b7igQ6rWc0 pic.twitter.com/Xlzvujdfbc
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) Could 5, 2025
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst famous that Cleveland’s Kenny Atkinson acquired 59 of the 100 first-place votes for NBA Coach of the Yr. He beat out Pistons’ first-year head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who acquired 31 first-place and 44 second-place votes. Houston’s Ime Udoka got here in third with seven first-place votes. This was Kenny Atkinson’s first season as a head coach since 2019-20, when he was fired by the Brooklyn Nets. From 2020-21 by way of 2023-24, Atkinson was an assistant head coach.
After a prolonged search, the Cavs determined to rent Kenny Atkinson as their subsequent head coach. His largest promoting level ot the crew was his capacity to maximise the roster the crew had already constructed. Cleveland was a 48-win crew within the 2023-24 common season. Atkinson helped Cleveland take a large step ahead of their crew development, profitable 64 video games in 2024-25. The Cavaliers thrived as a crew within the common season, and Atkinson had them ready every evening.
On prime of profitable the NBA Coach of the Yr, Kenny Atkinson additionally gained the Nationwide Basketball Coaches Affiliation’s Coach of the Yr award. It is a separate award that’s voted on by solely NBA coaches. Kenny Atkinson was honored to win this award, figuring out his friends voted for him. Whereas Coach of the Yr is a excessive honor, the Cavs have a crew objective. They wish to make a run to the NBA Finals. Cleveland misplaced Sport 1 of the East semi-finals, and Sport 2 is Tuesday evening.
