"Coach killer Trae" - Hilarious Nate McMillan memes take over Twitter in wake of Atlanta Hawks firing 

The Atlanta Hawks announced on Tuesday that they have fired head coach Nate McMillan after almost two years in charge. The Hawks were hoping to make the playoffs with ease at the start of the season following the acquisition of Dejounte Murray.

However, it has not worked out for Atlanta this season. The Hawks are currently eighth in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 29-30. They are three games behind the seventh seed, but the race for the play-in spots will be tight.

The margin of error is slim for the Hawks considering they have a great duo in Murray and Trae Young. One of the problems for Atlanta this season was Young's relationship with McMillan. The coach and player had a heated exchange back in December, resulting in Young not playing in one game afterwards.

In the wake of the Atlanta Hawks' firing of Nate McMillan, fans on Twitter went in on Trae Young. Some even called Young a "coach killer" and a locker room cancer. There were reports of Young taking a private jet during last year's playoffs.

Here are some of the best reactions to Nate McMillan's firing:

"Trae Young took down 2 coaches in less than 4 years"

"It's a Trae Young vs a Nikola Jokic League. Me first vs We first."

"Coach killer Trae"

"Trae Young officially a coach killer?"

"Trae Young took down Nate McMillan"

"Trae gotta go man"

"get whoever he wants"

"Trae won the War!!!"

"Hawks in shambles, I'm here for it"

---

Atlanta Hawks name Joe Prunty as interim head coach

Joe Prunty of the Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have named Joe Prunty as their interim head coach following the firing of Nate McMillan. Prunty has been an assistant coach for the Hawks since 2021. It will be his second time as interim head coach in the NBA, as he took over the Milwaukee Bucks for four months in 2018.

Prunty started his coaching career in 1996 as an assistant to San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. He was in San Antonio for nine seasons, winning three championships in 1999, 2003 and 2005. Prunty left the Spurs in 2005, joining the Dallas Mavericks.

The veteran assistant coach also had stints with the Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns. With 23 games left in the Hawks' regular season, the Hawks will need to win the majority of those games to make the playoffs.

As for their coaching search, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder is a leading candidate. Other possible options for the Hawks include Bucks associate head coach Charles Lee and Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson.