The Brooklyn Nets are nearing contract extensions for head coach Kenny Atkinson and his staff, ESPN reported Tuesday.
The Nets are 39-39 ahead of Wednesday's game against Toronto and vying for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2015. They're currently the No. 7 seed with four games to play in a season in which they weren't predicted to be very competitive.
Nets general manager Sean Marks hired Atkinson in 2016. Atkinson won 20 games in his first season with the team and improved to 28 wins last season. The 51-year-old has an 87-155 record as head coach.
Known for his role in player development, he has overseen career-seasons from various Nets players including D'Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris.
The New York native played college basketball at Richmond before playing professionally in Europe for over a decade. Atkinson played with Nets assistant coach Chris Fleming in college.
Atkinson had been a career assistant coach with the Knicks and Hawks before landing his post with the Nets. He worked for NBA Coaches of the Year Mike D'Antoni in New York and Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta.
