Sports
Atlanta Hawks Fire Head Coach; Name McMillan Interim
Nate McMillian named interim head coach as Lloyd Pierce is released from coaching Atlanta Hawks amid 14-20 season.
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks fired Head Coach Lloyd Pierce on Monday, putting Nate McMillan in the driving seat for the time being.
Adrian Wojnarwoski, NBA reporter for ESPN, first reported the news Monday afternoon via Twitter.
Atlanta has dismissed Lloyd Pierce as coach, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 1, 2021
The Hawks organization quickly moved to name McMillan the interim head coach. McMillan, who most recently led the Indiana Pacers from 2016 to 2020, came to the Hawks coaching staff in November.
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Prior to his tenure in Indiana, he was head coach of the Portland Trailblazers (2005-2012) and of the former Seattle Supersonics (2000-2005) with an overall winning percentage of .529, according to a statement from the Hawks.
In a statement, Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk thanked Pierce for his commitment to the team and to the City of Atlanta.
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"We have high expectations for our team on the court and believe b making this change now that we can have a strong second half," the statement said.
The Hawks lost four of the team’s last six games with a season record of 14 and 20. Pierce came to the Hawks in May, 2018, and leaves the team with 63 wins and 120 losses.
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