CLEVELAND (AP) — New York Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant is joining new Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson's staff, a person familiar with the hiring told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Bryant, who interviewed for the Cavaliers' opening before Atkinson was hired, will be an associate head coach, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the addition.
Bryant will be reunited in Cleveland with Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell They spent several years working together in Utah, and Mitchell has often credited the 29-year-old Bryant with making him a better player.
Mitchell agreed this week to a three-year, $150.3 million contract extension with the Cavs. His commitment came just days after Cleveland hired Atkinson, the former Brooklyn coach who spent the past three seasons as an assistant with Golden State.
Bryant spent six seasons with the Jazz. He went to New York in 2020, when it appeared Mitchell might be headed to the Knicks in a trade before the Cavs pulled off a blockbuster deal to acquire the 27-year-old.
Atkinson is still completing his staff, but has already added former Lakers assistant Jordan Ott and former NBA player DeMarre Carroll. Ott is coaching Cleveland's Summer League team in Las Vegas.
ESPN previously reported Bryant's hiring by the Cavs.
Cleveland fired coach J.B. Bickerstaff after being eliminated in the playoffs.
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Kenny Atkinson speaks as he is introduced as the new head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers at an NBA basketball news conference, Monday, July 1, 2024, in Independence, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
FILE - Utah Jazz coach Johnnie Bryant looks on during the second half of an NBA summer league basketball game against the Boston Celtics, July 5, 2016, in Salt Lake City. New York Knicks assistant Bryant is joining new Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson's staff, a person familiar with the hiring told The Associated Press, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich won without playing on Saturday as Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund dropped points to modest opponents.
Dortmund slumped at Union Berlin to a 2-1 defeat without injured forward Karim Adeyemi, who starred in the team’s 7-1 rout of Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Defending champion Leverkusen squandered an early two-goal lead over promoted Holstein Kiel and drew 2-2. It was only Kiel’s second point in its debut top-flight season.
Leverkusen played in a special black jersey with red trim to commemorate the club’s 120th anniversary, and for Xabi Alonso it was also a special occasion – the Spanish coach took over exactly two years before.
Leverkusen fans didn’t have to wait long to celebrate after Victor Boniface opened the scoring in the fourth minute and Jonas Hofmann made it 2-0 four minutes after that. Leverkusen looked set for a rout.
But the home team failed to make more of its dominance — Boniface had another goal ruled out for offside — and Kiel secured a lifeline before the break when Max Geschwil scored after a corner. Fiete Arp scored an unlikely equalizer from the penalty spot in the 69th.
Also, Freiburg won at Werder Bremen 1-0, and Wolfsburg enjoyed a 3-1 win in Wolfsburg.
St. Pauli was playing Mainz later.
League leader Bayern visits second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.
Leverkusen's head coach Xabi Alonso reacts during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Holstein Kiel at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Dortmund's Sebastien Haller talks to a referee during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Dortmund's Waldemar Anton, left, and Union's Benedict Hollerbach fight for the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Union's Benedict Hollerbach, left, and Dortmund's Pascal Gross jump for the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Berlin players celebrate after a goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Union's Kevin Vogt stops the ball in front of Dortmund's Julien Duranville during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Dortmund's Sebastien Haller, left, and Union's Christopher Trimmel jump for the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Dortmund's Maximilian Beier outruns Union's Diogo Leite during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
