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FILE–Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan. Rick Osentoski/Getty Images/AFP
Atlanta Hawks coach Nate McMillan told reporters on Friday that he is not considering resigning or retiring in the middle of the season, despite a report from The Athletic that claimed so.
Earlier in the day, The Athletic cited a league source in a report saying McMillan’s “job status is in question in the NBA” after he and Trae Young disagreed in a pregame shootaround on Dec. 2.
Young, who was injured at the time, did not attend last night’s game against the Denver Nuggets, which also showed a glimpse into the disconnect between the coach and the star player.
The report added that McMillan’s job remains secure and “there has been no resignation from McMillan.”
“I read the article for a while,” McMillan said the night before the Hawks played the Los Angeles Lakers. “I have never spoken to that journalist. I think two weeks ago he wrote some articles with some sources in our organization that made some comments about me and some of the things I said and did.
“Look, at the end of the year, I will do as I have done. I will talk to my family and see if that fire, the fire, continues next season, but it is the end of the season. All of us are thinking about retirement, but at the end of the season. We will go through the story.
McMillan, 58, has been the Hawks coach since taking over after Lloyd Pierce was fired during the 2020-21 season. He led fifth-seeded Atlanta to the Eastern Conference finals that season and was given a four-year contract.
The Hawks are now 17-18 and occupy ninth place in the East Region standings.
“We have a race to prepare for,” McMillan said. “We’re trying to get guys healthy and make a run again in the playoffs, but the thing that’s been reported, look, I’m here to coach this year, and I’ve talked to (owner) Tony Ressler a few times. And our goal is to make the playoffs. And that’s what I want.
In an interview with an Atlanta radio station, Hawks CEO Steve Koonin went further, addressing NBA Athletic insider Shams Charania by name.
“It was made up,” Koonin said. “I literally called Shams out. It’s just hack journalism.
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