ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks encountered an unexpected change at the helm during a 127-121 defeat against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night, as head coach Quin Snyder was sidelined due to illness.
Snyder, who exhibited flu-like symptoms, was present during the team’s pregame activities, including his customary press conference, but his sudden absence left the players taken aback.
“None of us knew until right before tipoff,” remarked point guard Trae Young. “He was here early. It kind of surprised us but we still had a game to go play. It sucks we couldn’t get him the win.”
Despite Snyder’s absence, Young stepped up, leading the team with 28 points and 13 assists.
The Hawks lack a formally appointed head assistant, so Igor Kokoskov, an experienced Serbian coach with 19 years in the NBA, stepped up as the acting coach.
“I think the game plan is the same,” shared forward Mouhamed Gueye. “It’s just a different person taking charge.”
Kokoskov joined Snyder’s coaching squad in Atlanta in 2023 after accumulating experience in various assistant roles with teams like Brooklyn, Dallas, Sacramento, Phoenix, Utah, Cleveland, Detroit, and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Markedly, in 2000, Kokoskov was groundbreaking as the first non-American hired as a full-time NBA assistant coach. He later held a head coaching position for one season with Phoenix during 2018-19 before being dismissed with a 19-63 record.
