the Cavaliers head coach valued his time as a Warriors assistant coach
In their last game before 2025, the 28-4 Cleveland Cavaliers beat the 16-16 Warriors 113-95.
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said he wouldn’t be the coach he is today without coaching for the Warriors between 2021 and the end of the 2023-24 season.
Kenny Atkinson called his time with the Warriors “finishing school” for him: “I don’t think I was a complete coach until I came here and, quite honestly, learned from the best. The best players, the best coach.” pic.twitter.com/GpzJtRayKu
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 31, 2024
“I don’t think I was a complete coach until I came here and, quite honestly, learned from the best. The best players, the best coach,” Atkinson said in a pregame media availability on December 30th.
Atkinson has been coaching in the NBA since 2008, where he started as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks. Later, Atkinson went on to be the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, but returned to assistant coaching for a few years after his Nets tenure turned out subpar at best.
Now, he is the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have the best record in the league this year, currently sitting at first seed in the east with a 28-4 record.
With the Warriors, Atkinson won his first and only championship in 2022. He coached future hall-of-famers like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and even Chris Paul last year. His career is a testament to the Warriors’ incredible coaching staff and development programs, especially as Atkinson likened his time with Golden State to ‘finishing school.’