After reportedly agreeing to terms on a contract to become the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, Kenny Atkinson has decided not to take the job in favour of remaining an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Despite the two parties agreeing to terms last week, Atkinson had not yet signed the reported four-year contract, according to The Associated Press.
Mike D'Antoni and Terry Stotts were the other two finalists for the job. The Hornets will now have to restart the hiring process, Wojnarowski added.
The Hornets haven't been to the playoffs since the 2015-16 season and haven't won a playoff series in more than two decades.
The Hornets went 43-39 and finished in 10th place in the Eastern Conference this past season before being blown out in the play-in tournament for the second straight season -- something that didn't sit well with Hornets owner Michael Jordan. The 2020-21 season was considered a playoffs-or-bust season for Charlotte, and it failed to advance to a playoff series.
Jordan then fired head coach James Borrego on April 22.
Borrego, 44, was 138-163 in four seasons with the Hornets and had received a multi-year contract extension last August.
With files from The Associated Press
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