Kenny Atkinson made headlines on Saturday after it was reported that he decided to turn his back on the Charlotte Hornets after he was offered the job as the team's head coach. Atkinson has opted to remain with the Golden State Warriors as Steve Kerr's top assistant.

According to ESPN's NBA guru Adrian Wojnarowski, the two other candidates that Atkinson beat out were Mike D'Antoni and Terry Stotts:

Mike D'Antoni and Terry Stotts were the other two finalists for the job, sources said. Charlotte will have to restart process now.

It's now likely that D'Antoni and Stotts are going to be the top two candidates following Atkinson's shocking decision. Then again, the Hornets could decide to start from scratch here after their plans were foiled.

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There is some excitement surrounding the potential arrival of D'Antoni to Charlotte given his reputation for establishing a high-octane offense. You have to wonder if he could be the man that unlocks LaMelo Ball and takes the young star's game to the next level.

Stotts, on the other hand, recently struck out with the Los Angeles Lakers. Reports suggest that he was a finalist for the head coaching post there as well before LA decided to go for Darvin Ham.