ATLANTA — Quin Snyder, head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, made his way back to the sidelines for Thursday night’s clash against the Indiana Pacers. Snyder had missed the previous game due to an illness.
Snyder was absent during Tuesday night’s 127-121 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks, having been sidelined with flu-like symptoms. In his absence, Assistant Coach Igor Kokoskov took over coaching duties.
“With Igor’s vast experience, you feel very reassured in those moments,” Snyder commented regarding Kokoskov ahead of Thursday’s game. “We are fortunate to have a remarkable staff composed of many talented individuals. His level of experience is quite rare for an assistant in the league.”
Kokoskov, hailing from Serbia, has been serving in the NBA for 19 years as a coach. He joined Snyder’s team in Atlanta in 2023 following previous runs as an assistant with several NBA teams including Brooklyn, Dallas, Sacramento, Phoenix, Utah, Cleveland, Detroit, and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Notably, Kokoskov was the first non-American assistant coach hired full-time in the NBA when the Los Angeles Clippers brought him on board in 2000. He had a brief stint as a head coach for the Phoenix Suns during the 2018-19 season, achieving a 19-63 record before being let go.
