Hawks reward McMillan with head coach role

LOS ANGELES – The Atlanta Hawks removed the interim tag and rewarded Nate McMillan by giving him a long-term deal as their latest head coach, the National Basketball Association club announced on Monday (Tuesday, Manila time).

McMillan took over from fired head coach Lloyd Pierce in March and turned the team's fortunes around. The Hawks struggled to a 14-20 record to start the season.

But with McMillan at the helm, Atlanta surged to 27-11, with a 10-8 mark in the playoffs. 

Atlanta ousted the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs before being eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks in game six of the NBA semi-finals on Saturday. 

McMillan has also had coaching stops in Seattle, Portland, and Indiana. He was hired as an assistant in Atlanta on November 11 of 2020. In 17 seasons as a head coach, he has 688 wins and 599 losses.