"JJ Redick really got 5 votes" - NBA fans stunned as Kenny Atkinson clinches NBA COTY award as Cavaliers coach

Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was named the 2025 NBA Coach of the Year ahead of finalists J.B. Bickerstaff of the Detroit Pistons and Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets.

Under Atkinson, the Cavaliers raced to a 15-0 start in the 2024-25 season and registered a 64-18 record to secure the top place in the Eastern Conference - their third 60-win season and first since 2009-10. Back then, LeBron James was in his final season at Cleveland before he joined the Miami Heat.

Fans revealed their thoughts after the NBA announced that Kenny Atkinson earned the award.

"JJ Redick really got 5 votes………." a fan said about the voting.

"As I said, the Cavaliers' record this year is enough to make him the best coach," another fan commented.

"Should’ve been Ime udoka… no one else in the league can get jalen green to the 2nd seed," one fan said.

However, other fans thought Atkinson shouldn't have been the winner and insisted should've been Bickerstaff.

"JB Bickerstaff took a 14 win team and made them a 6 seed, tripling their win total. Terrible stuff," a fan said.

"JB got robbed. Unbelievable. Took the Pistons to the playoffs this year, an unbelievable turnaround from last year," another fan commented.

"As expected, JB Bickerstaff snubbed. 0-3 Pistons in the NBA awards," one fan said.

Now, the only task left for Kenny Atkinson is to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a championship.

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Kenny Atkinson credits Evan Mobley as one of the keys to the Cavaliers' historic season

Kenny Atkinson was congratulated by TNT's "Inside the NBA" on Monday after the league confirmed his victory. Former player Kenny Smith asked Atkinson which three players he thinks helped him make a run at the COTY award aside from All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.

The Cavaliers coach believes Evan Mobley is one of the biggest reasons he won the award.

"The easy answer is Evan Mobley," Atkinson said.

Mobley leaped this season and became an All-Star. In addition, he earned his first Defensive Player of the Year award.

Atkinson credited the depth this year, praising the Cavaliers's bench and management's efforts. In the postseason, he led Cleveland to a first-round sweep of the Miami Heat, leaving no chance for Erik Spoelstra's team.