The Cleveland Cavaliers made the right call last offseason.
It became evident that they needed to move on from J.B. Bickerstaff, who also benefited from a change of scenery.
Then, it didn’t take long before Kenny Atkinson proved to be the right man for the job.
With that in mind, Cavs fans rallied on social media to wish their coach a happy 58th birthday.
Happy Birthday, Kenny! #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/OfrcqfTu0X
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 2, 2025
Atkinson, who had a long playing career overseas, began his coaching career as an assistant coach for Paris Basket Racing in France.
He later joined the New York Knicks in 2008, and he was an assistant coach there.
Atkinson then worked as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks before eventually getting his first head coaching opportunity with the Brooklyn Nets.
Despite leading a not-so-talented and young Nets team to the playoffs, the team eventually chose to let him go, reportedly because Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving didn’t think he was experienced enough to get the team to where they needed to be.
It wasn’t long before the Los Angeles Clippers offered him an assistant coach position, and he later joined Steve Kerr’s coaching staff with the Golden State Warriors.
Atkinson is still learning the ropes, and he didn’t look as sharp in the playoffs.
Nevertheless, you have to give him the benefit of the doubt after the way he turned this team around in no time.
The early returns have been encouraging, and the fans can only hope that the team will take another leap in Year 2.
NEXT: Cavs Assistant Coach Advances To Next Round For Major Coaching Job
