After five seasons with JB Bickerstaff as head coach, the Cavs fired him, following the 2023-24 season. Cleveland has searched extensively for his next head coach and hired Kenny Atkinson.
In his first season as the Cavaliers head coach, the team went 64-18. It’s the best record at the Eastern Conference, and Cleveland is the number one seed in the East Playoffs. On Monday evening, Kenny Atkinson was named the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year. He had a very successful first season with Cleveland.
Kenny Atkinson is the 2024-25 Coach of the Year
Your 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year, Kenny Atkinson. #letemknow
Details: https://t.co/b7igq6rwc0 pic.twitter.com/xlzvujdfbc
– Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 5, 2025
ESPN’s Brian Windholst noted that Cleveland’s Kenny Atkinson won 59 of the 100 NBA Coach of the Year votes. He beat the Pistons’ first-year head coach, JB Bickerstaff. Houston’s Imeudoka came third with seven first place votes. This was Kenny Atkinson’s first season as head coach since 2019-20 when he was fired by Brooklyn Net. From 2020-21-24-2023, Atkinson was an assistant head coach.
After a long search, the Cavs decided to hire Kenny Atkinson as their next head coach. His biggest selling point for the team was his ability to maximize the roster the team had already built. Cleveland had a 48-win team in the 2023-24 regular season. Atkinson helped Cleveland move forward significantly with his team’s progress, winning 64 games in 2024-25. The Cavaliers thrived as a team during the regular season, and Atkinson had them prepare each night.
In addition to winning the NBA Coach of the Year, Kenny Atkinson also received the National Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year Award. This is another award only NBA coaches vote for. Kenny Atkinson was honored to receive the award, knowing that his peers had voted for him. Coach of the Year is the highest honor, but the Cavs have team goals. They want to run to the NBA Finals. Cleveland lost Game 1 in the East semi-finals, and Game 2 is Tuesday night.