Hawks Coach Nate McMillan Out Tonight

Chris Jent will be the head coach as the Hawks take on the Pacers.

© Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The pandemic is still far from over. Today was another reminder of that in the NBA. Around noon, the Atlanta Hawks official twitter account sent out a series of tweets explaining that Head Coach Nate McMillan would be away from the team tonight.

Assistant Coach Chris Jent will serve as head coach for tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers. (2/2)

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 1, 2021

Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution added some additional context to the rapidly developing situation:

Nate McMillan returned a negative result via rapid-response test, but is being extra cautious, per Chris Jent.

"He called me up and said 'Hey, I just don't feel comfortable and want to make sure everything's OK, so I'm going to stay away from the game tonight.'"

— Sarah K. Spencer (@sarah_k_spence) December 1, 2021

This will be Chris Jent's first game as an NBA head coach since he was the interim for the Orlando Magic at the end of the 2004-05 season. However, this game will not count towards his own coaching record. If the Hawks win, it will be McMillan's 700th career coaching victory. 

At this time, no players are affected by the potential exposure. Stay locked into AllHawks.com as we learn more about this fluid situation.

Recommended For You

Injuries Imperil Hawks Playoffs Hopes

Trae Young Recreates 'Miller Time' in Pacers Jersey

Behind the Scenes at NBA Media Day

---

Like SI Hawks on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Hawks news!