The Los Angeles Lakers have received permission to interview Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson for the franchise’s coaching job, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
The Lakers have been methodically meeting with the candidates in recent weeks and plan to speak with Atkinson in the near future, the sources said.
Atkinson built a reputation for player development as an assistant and head coach in the NBA. He spent more than three years as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, whom he led to a playoff appearance in his third season in 2018-2019.
Atkinson, who is completing his first season on Steve Kerr’s coaching staff with the Warriors, has also emerged as a candidate for the Charlotte Hornets. Atkinson interviewed with the Hornets in recent days, sources said. Mike D’Antoni and Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham are also serious candidates in the Hornets’ pipeline, sources said.
The Lakers have spoken with several coaches, including Ham, former Portland coach Terry Stotts, Toronto assistant Adrian Griffin and former Golden State coach Mark Jackson. The Lakers have shown no urgency to make a deal in the near future, nor is there a real imperative to do so.
The Lakers fired Frank Vogel after a 33-49 season kept them out of the postseason.
Atkinson went 118-190 in more than three years with the Nets, inheriting a complete rebuild and showing improvement each season until he resigned after an injury-plagued 2019-20 season. He spent the 2020-2021 season with the LA Clippers before joining Kerr’s staff as one of the highest-paid assistants in the league.
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Lakers may interview Coach Atkinson