Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan is expected to meet with two finalists for the head coaching job, including Mike D’Antoni, sources told ESPN.
Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson will meet with Jordan on Tuesday, with D’Antoni expected to visit later in the week, the sources added.
Atkinson and D’Antoni have already had two meetings with management, including with general manager Mitch Kupchak, in the process with the Hornets.
The Hornets fired James Borrego after four seasons in April.
D’Antoni went 217-102 in his four seasons (2016-2020) as Rockets coach, advancing eleven to the Western Conference finals and three times to the conference semifinals. D’Antoni, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, led the Rockets to the highest winning percentage in the Western Conference during those four years (.682), behind only the Toronto Raptors (.695) in the entire league. .
In 16 seasons as head coach with Denver, Phoenix, the Los Angeles Lakers, the New York Knicks and Houston, D’Antoni is 672-527 (.560) and 54-56 in the playoffs. He is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year (2004 and 2017).
Atkinson could become the second Golden State assistant coach set to leave the Warriors and take over a new team. Mike Brown was hired to coach the Sacramento Kings the next season.
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 2020-21 season with the Los Angeles Clippers as an assistant before joining Kerr’s staff ahead of this run to the NBA Finals.
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Sources: MJ will meet with D’Antoni and Atkinson