NY Post · Sep 30, 2019
The Kenny Atkinson trait that made Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving Nets
Enlarge Image
Kenny AtkinsonKenny Atkinson has done a great job in Brooklyn motivating scrappers and molding projects. But when the Nets added Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan, some worried he won’t be able to coach stars.
Turns out those stars wanted to be coached by him.
“Kenny’s known for telling it like it is, which I appreciate,” said Irving, who was accompanied to the hospital by Atkinson following Tuesday’s facial fracture.
“You’ve got to go,” Atkinson shrugged. “It’s no great Mother Teresa moment, it’s just something you do.”
That straightforward style was cited by the star trio as a draw that lured them to Brooklyn, calling him honest and genuine.