Latest news with #RedAuerbachTrophy
Fox News
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Kenny Atkinson wins NBA Coach of the Year in his 1st season leading the Cavs
Kenny Atkinson went through a winless preseason with the Cleveland Cavaliers and wondered if his team would be any good. Turns out, they were better than good. And their coach — he was the NBA's best this season. Atkinson is now an NBA Coach of the Year winner, announced Monday night as this year's recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy. Atkinson led Cleveland to a 15-0 start to the season — one of three winning streaks of at least 12 games this season by his club — and led the Cavaliers to the best record in the Eastern Conference. "I stepped into this," Atkinson said. "I keep saying that, that I stepped into this. It's a little bit of luck too, right?" J.B. Bickerstaff was second in the voting, after pulling Detroit from the basement to the playoffs. Ime Udoka was third, after guiding Houston's path to ending its five-year playoff drought. All three did elite jobs this season. But none better than Atkinson. All were coach of the year candidates previously. Bickerstaff has gotten votes now in each of the last four seasons, Udoka has gotten votes in all three of his seasons as a head coach and Atkinson finished fifth in the voting for the 2018-19 season, when he coached Brooklyn. This was the best finish in the voting for each of this year's finalists. And for Atkinson, it was a sweep: He also won the National Basketball Coaches Association's coach of the year award, one that is separate from the official NBA award and is voted on by other head coaches. "I almost broke down when I got that," Atkinson said. "Like, to think (Rick) Carlisle voted for me, that (Erik) Spoelstra voted for me ... that's like the pinnacle." Atkinson won the NBA award, unveiled Monday night on a TNT broadcast, by a comfortable margin — getting 59 of the 100 first-place votes and appearing on 99 of the 100 ballots. Bickerstaff got 31 first-place votes to finish second, while Udoka got seven first-place votes to finish third. Oklahoma City's Mark Daigneault (two first-place votes) was fourth. Tyronn Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers got the other first-place vote and finished fifth, and JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Lakers was sixth. Atkinson went to the Cavaliers after spending the most recent three seasons as an assistant with Golden State under Warriors coach Steve Kerr. Atkinson said he learned a ton from that experience, lessons he applied this season in Cleveland and obviously had great success with. "My time with Steve, I call it finishing school," Atkinson said on the TNT broadcast. "I was your typical, kind of hard-nosed coach. And just being around Steve and observing how he conducted practices, how he communicated with his stars, how he included the whole roster in his thought process, it just made me a better coach. Really thankful for the experience and it's made me who I am today." Atkinson and Bickerstaff both flourished in Year 1 of their current stints. Atkinson led Cleveland to a 64-18 record and the No. 1 seed in the East — doing so after Bickerstaff got fired following a run to the second round in Cleveland last season. Bickerstaff was then hired by Detroit and turned a 14-win team into a 44-win team that earned the East's No. 6 seed. Udoka led Houston a 52-30 mark and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The NBA Coach of the Year award, like several other honors, was voted on by a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league and cast ballots shortly after the end of the regular season. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
News18
06-05-2025
- Sport
- News18
Cavaliers HC Kenny Atkinson Wins NBA Coach Of The Year Award For 2024-25 Season
Atkinson led Cleveland to a 15-0 start to the season and led the Cavaliers to the best record in the Eastern Conference. Kenny Atkinson went through a winless preseason with the Cleveland Cavaliers and wondered if his team would be any good. Turns out, they were better than good. And their coach — he was the NBA's best this season. Atkinson is now an NBA Coach of the Year winner, announced Monday night as this year's recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy. Atkinson led Cleveland to a 15-0 start to the season — one of three winning streaks of at least 12 games this season by his club — and led the Cavaliers to the best record in the Eastern Conference. 'I stepped into this," Atkinson said. 'I keep saying that, that I stepped into this. It's a little bit of luck too, right?" — New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) April 24, 2025 J.B. Bickerstaff was second in the voting, after pulling Detroit from the basement to the playoffs. Ime Udoka was third, after guiding Houston's path to ending its five-year playoff drought. All three did elite jobs this season. But none better than Atkinson. All were coach of the year candidates previously. Bickerstaff has gotten votes now in each of the last four seasons, Udoka has gotten votes in all three of his seasons as a head coach and Atkinson finished fifth in the voting for the 2018-19 season, when he coached Brooklyn. This was the best finish in the voting for each of this year's finalists. And for Atkinson, it was a sweep: He also won the National Basketball Coaches Association's coach of the year award, one that is separate from the official NBA award and is voted on by other head coaches. 'I almost broke down when I got that," Atkinson said. 'Like, to think (Rick) Carlisle voted for me, that (Erik) Spoelstra voted for me … that's like the pinnacle." Atkinson won the NBA award unveiled Monday night on a TNT broadcast, by a comfortable margin, getting 59 of the 100 first-place votes and appearing on 99 of the 100 ballots. Bickerstaff got 31 first-place votes to finish second, while Udoka got seven first-place votes to finish third. Oklahoma City's Mark Daigneault (two first-place votes) was fourth. Tyronn Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers got the other first-place vote and finished fifth, and JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Lakers was sixth. First Published: May 06, 2025, 07:34 IST
Boston Globe
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Cavaliers' Kenny Atkinson edges J.B. Bickerstaff and Ime Udoka to win NBA Coach of the Year
Atkinson is now an NBA Coach of the Year winner, announced Monday night as this year's recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy. Atkinson led Cleveland to a 15-0 start to the season — one of three winning streaks of at least 12 games this season by his club — and led the Cavaliers to the best record in the Eastern Conference. 'I stepped into this,' Atkinson said. 'I keep saying that, that I stepped into this. It's a little bit of luck too, right?' J.B. Bickerstaff was second in the voting, after pulling the Pistons from the basement to the playoffs. Ime Udoka was third, after ending the Rockets' five-year playoff drought. Advertisement All three did elite jobs this season. But none better than Atkinson. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up All were coach of the year candidates previously. Bickerstaff has gotten votes now in each of the last four seasons, Udoka has gotten votes in all three of his seasons as a head coach and Atkinson finished fifth in the voting for the 2018-19 season, when he coached the Nets. This was the best finish in the voting for each of this year's finalists. And for Atkinson, it was a sweep: He also won the National Basketball Coaches Association's coach of the year award, one that is separate from the official NBA award and is voted on by other head coaches. Advertisement 'I almost broke down when I got that,' Atkinson said. 'Like, to think [Rick] Carlisle voted for me, that [Erik] Spoelstra voted for me . . . that's like the pinnacle.' Atkinson won the NBA award. unveiled Monday night on a TNT broadcast, by a comfortable margin — getting 59 of the 100 first-place votes and appearing on 99 of the 100 ballots. Bickerstaff got 31 first-place votes to finish second, while Udoka got seven first-place votes to finish third. Leominster native Mark Daigneault (two first-place votes) of the Thunder was fourth. Tyronn Lue of the Clippers got the other first-place vote and finished fifth, and JJ Redick of the Lakers was sixth. Atkinson went to the Cavaliers after spending the most recent three seasons as an assistant with Golden State under Warriors coach Steve Kerr. Atkinson said he learned a ton from that experience, lessons he applied this season in Cleveland and obviously had great success with. 'My time with Steve, I call it finishing school,' Atkinson said on the TNT broadcast. 'I was your typical, kind of hard-nosed coach. And just being around Steve and observing how he conducted practices, how he communicated with his stars, how he included the whole roster in his thought process, it just made me a better coach. Really thankful for the experience and it's made me who I am today.' Atkinson and Bickerstaff both flourished in Year 1 of their current stints. Atkinson led Cleveland to a 64-18 record and the No. 1 seed in the East — doing so after Bickerstaff got fired following a run to the second round in Cleveland last season. Bickerstaff was then hired by Detroit and turned a 14-win team into a 44-win team that earned the East's No. 6 seed. Advertisement Udoka led Houston a 52-30 mark and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The NBA Coach of the Year award, like several other honors, was voted on by a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league and cast ballots shortly after the end of the regular season. Major awards that will be announced later in the playoffs include MVP (either Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver's Nikola Jokic or Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo), plus the All-NBA, All-Rookie and All-Defensive teams.
Perth Now
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Cavalier attitude earns Atkinson top NBA coach honour
Kenny Atkinson went through a winless pre-season with the Cleveland Cavaliers and wondered if his team would be any good. Turns out they were better than good. And their coach was the NBA's best this season. Atkinson is now an NBA Coach of the Year winner, announced on Monday night (Tuesday AEST) as this year's recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy. He led Cleveland to a 15-0 start to the season - one of three winning streaks of at least 12 games this season by his club - and led the Cavaliers to the best record in the Eastern Conference. JB Bickerstaff was second in the voting, after pulling Detroit from the basement to the playoffs. Ime Udoka was third, after guiding Houston's path to ending their five-year playoff drought. Atkinson won the top gong by gaining 59 of the 100 first-place votes and appearing on 99 of the 100 ballots. Bickerstaff got 31 first-place votes to finish second, while Udoka got seven first-place votes. Atkinson led Cleveland to a 64-18 record and the No.1 seed in the East, doing so after Bickerstaff got fired following a run to the second round in Cleveland last season. Bickerstaff was then hired by Detroit and turned a 14-win team into a 44-win team that earned the East's No.6 seed. Udoka led Houston a 52-30 mark and the No.2 seed in the Western Conference. The NBA Coach of the Year award, like several other honours, was voted on by a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league. Other awards already unveiled include Atlanta's Australian superstar Dyson Daniels winning Most Improved Player, San Antonio's Stephon Castle named Rookie of the Year, and Cleveland's Evan Mobley being crowned Defensive Player of the Year. Major awards to be announced later in the playoffs include MVP (either Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver's Nikola Jokic or Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo), plus the All-NBA, All-Rookie and All-Defensive teams.
Fox Sports
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Kenny Atkinson wins NBA Coach of the Year in his 1st season leading the Cavs
Kenny Atkinson went through a winless preseason with the Cleveland Cavaliers and wondered if his team would be any good. Turns out, they were better than good. And their coach — he was the NBA's best this season. Atkinson is now an NBA Coach of the Year winner, announced Monday night as this year's recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy. Atkinson led Cleveland to a 15-0 start to the season — one of three winning streaks of at least 12 games this season by his club — and led the Cavaliers to the best record in the Eastern Conference. "I stepped into this," Atkinson said. "I keep saying that, that I stepped into this. It's a little bit of luck too, right?" J.B. Bickerstaff was second in the voting, after pulling Detroit from the basement to the playoffs. Ime Udoka was third, after guiding Houston's path to ending its five-year playoff drought. All three did elite jobs this season. But none better than Atkinson. All were coach of the year candidates previously. Bickerstaff has gotten votes now in each of the last four seasons, Udoka has gotten votes in all three of his seasons as a head coach and Atkinson finished fifth in the voting for the 2018-19 season, when he coached Brooklyn. This was the best finish in the voting for each of this year's finalists. And for Atkinson, it was a sweep: He also won the National Basketball Coaches Association's coach of the year award, one that is separate from the official NBA award and is voted on by other head coaches. "I almost broke down when I got that," Atkinson said. "Like, to think (Rick) Carlisle voted for me, that (Erik) Spoelstra voted for me ... that's like the pinnacle." Atkinson won the NBA award. unveiled Monday night on a TNT broadcast, by a comfortable margin — getting 59 of the 100 first-place votes and appearing on 99 of the 100 ballots. Bickerstaff got 31 first-place votes to finish second, while Udoka got seven first-place votes to finish third. Oklahoma City's Mark Daigneault (two first-place votes) was fourth. Tyronn Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers got the other first-place vote and finished fifth, and JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Lakers was sixth. Atkinson went to the Cavaliers after spending the most recent three seasons as an assistant with Golden State under Warriors coach Steve Kerr. Atkinson said he learned a ton from that experience, lessons he applied this season in Cleveland and obviously had great success with. "My time with Steve, I call it finishing school," Atkinson said on the TNT broadcast. "I was your typical, kind of hard-nosed coach. And just being around Steve and observing how he conducted practices, how he communicated with his stars, how he included the whole roster in his thought process, it just made me a better coach. Really thankful for the experience and it's made me who I am today." Atkinson and Bickerstaff both flourished in Year 1 of their current stints. Atkinson led Cleveland to a 64-18 record and the No. 1 seed in the East — doing so after Bickerstaff got fired following a run to the second round in Cleveland last season. Bickerstaff was then hired by Detroit and turned a 14-win team into a 44-win team that earned the East's No. 6 seed. Udoka led Houston a 52-30 mark and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The NBA Coach of the Year award, like several other honors, was voted on by a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league and cast ballots shortly after the end of the regular season. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! recommended Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
