ATLANTA (AP) — Quin Snyder's typically tamed hair had an extra slick to it after the Atlanta Hawks' 123-113 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night.
His team, fresh off its 15th victory in 17 games, thought Snyder's 500th career win warranted a celebratory shower from the Gatorade cooler.
Snyder became the 41st coach in NBA history — and the sixth currently active — to reach the 500-win milestone.
“It was special," Snyder said after the game.
“When you’ve been in this league for a while, you realize that coaches, they keep your record, but it's really the players and the other people that allow for that to happen.
"I’ve been really lucky to be able to coach some not just really good players, but just really quality people.”
Snyder's knack for developing players has been put to the test this year as the team was overhauled with seven newcomers by the Feb. 5 trade deadline. In his fourth year as coach of the Hawks, Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Onyeka Okongwu and Dyson Daniels are all having career-best seasons.
Before joining Atlanta, Snyder coached the Jazz for eight seasons and led the team to the postseason six times.
“On behalf of the organization, I’d like to congratulate Coach Snyder on reaching 500 career wins,” Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh said in a statement. “This is truly a special milestone that is reflective of his unique ability to consistently put his players in a position to be successful, his relentless preparation and the trust and outcomes he establishes with our players.”
Jock Landale, after his second double-double since joining the team in February, said Snyder has been a key factor in helping him adapt to a new team and system.
“Quin’s incredible, honestly, and I don’t say that lightly. He’s been instrumental in just kind of getting me up to speed with exactly what’s going on," Landale said. “He's a great coach to play for, and I think that all 17 of us would say the exact same thing about him.”
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