Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kenny Atkinson Wins NBA Coach of the Year

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has been voted the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year, the league announced on Monday.

In his first season as Cleveland head coach, Atkinson guided the franchise to a 64-18 record in the regular season, earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers also led the NBA in scoring with 121.9 points per game and ranked No. 8 in defensive rating (111.8) during the regular season.

A panel of 100 members of the media from around the world voted on their top three head coaches from the season. A first-place vote is worth five points, a second-place vote earns three points and a third-place vote brings in one point.

Atkinson led the way with 59 first-place votes and 401 total points. Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff finished second in voting with 305 points, while Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka finished third with 113 points.

Others who received votes included Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault (41 points), LA Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue (35 points) and Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick (5 points).