Ken Atkinson (2010) - Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame

Ken Atkinson

Induction:
2010
Class:
1990

A four-year starter who led the Spiders to three postseason berths, including the school's first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 1988, Ken Atkinson finished his Spider career among the program's all-time scoring leaders with 1,549 points. Atkinson earned CAA Rookie of the Year honors in 1987 and capped his time in a Spider uniform by being named CAA Tournament MVP in 1990, when he captained the team to another NCAA appearance.

He was named First Team All-CAA, First Team All-State and CAA All Tournament Team in 1989 and 1990. In the Spiders' 1988 NCAA tournament victory over defending national champion Indiana, Atkinson scored 14 points, including the final basket of the game. He scored 15 - on five three-pointers - in the Sweet 16 loss to top-ranked Temple at the Meadowlands, in the shadow of his native Long Island. Atkinson played in 125 games, at the time tied for the most in school history, averaging 34.5 minutes per game, fifth on the all-time list. His 604 points in 1989-90 was eighth all-time. He finished third in single-season free throw percentage (.866), seventh in career free throw percentage (.793), and was third in both single-season (165) and career (464) assists. The Spiders were 84-41 (.672) during his four-year career.

He enjoyed a successful professional career overseas as a player and coach, and then returned to the United States as Director of Player Development with the NBA's Houston Rockets before joining the New York Knicks as an assistant coach. He spent four seasons as an assistant with Atlanta. On April 17, 2016 he was named the 21st head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, becoming the first Richmond Spider to be an NBA head coach. He has also spent time as an NBA assistant with the LA Clippers and Golden State.

Atkinson was hired as the Cleveland Cavaliers head coach on June 28, 2024 and had a historic first season, leading the team to a 64-18 record and the No. 1 seed in the East. He was named the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year following a 15-0 start to the season, becoming the first head coach in NBA history to win his first 15 games with a new franchise.