Atkins attended Landon School where he averaged 15.2 points, 12 rebounds and 7.3 blocked shots per game as a senior, earning All-Interstate Athletic Conference honors. Atkins had offers from Notre Dame and Maryland, but he chose to attend the University of Virginia.
He played college basketball for Virginia. In his four-year career at Virginia, Atkins averaged 4.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 123 games. After going undrafted in the 2015 National Basketball Association draft, Atkins joined the San Antonio Spurs for the 2015 National Basketball Association Summer League.
On September 10, 2015, he signed with the New York Knicks.
However, he was later waived by the New York on October 23 after appearing in three preseason games. On November 2, he was acquired by the Westchester Knicks of the National Basketball Association Development League as an affiliate player of New New York
