Hawks Fire Veteran Coach Nate McMillan After Just Two Years In Charge

Nate McMillan
Nate McMillan

The Atlanta Hawks have parted ways with their veteran head coach Nate McMillan after just two years with the Franchise.

McMillan is one of the most experienced coaches in the NBA and so he will be a huge loss to the Hawks who signed the 58-year old as an assistant coach on Lloyd Pierce’s staff before the 2020-21 season.

The coach took no time to make a name for himself in Atlanta, as McMillan was named as the new head coach of the Hawks midway through his first season posting a record of 99-80 over the next two-plus seasons.

With 1,428 games coached across Atlanta, Seattle, Portland and Indiana, McMillan ranks 17th on the list of most experienced coaches in NBA history, an incredible feat that comes to an end as the coach leaves Atlanta this season.

The Hawks’ general manager Landry Fields had nothing but respect for his former coach when he was asked about the sacking on Tuesday:

“I would like to thank Nate for his leadership and professionalism during his time with the Hawks. He is truly a class act, and we appreciate the graciousness and work ethic he brought with him every day,” Fields said. “Decisions like these, especially in-season, are always extremely difficult, but we believe it’s in the best interest of our team to move forward with another voice leading the way.”

The Hawks are currently 8th in the Eastern Conference with a (29-30) record so whoever comes in to replace McMillan will certainly have a big job on their hands straight from the off.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the sacking of McMillan and he has also reported that the Hawks have indeed already begun their search for a new coach with former Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder “expected to be at the top of the list.”

Joe Prunty will take over from McMillan as interim head coach of the Hawks, who return to action after the All-Star break with a game against the Cavs on Saturday.

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