The Milwaukee Bucks fired coach Mike Budenholzer just over a week after their shocking first-round playoff loss to the Miami Heat ended a season in which they had the NBA’s best record.
Budenholzer’s firing comes just two years after leading the Bucks to their first NBA championship in half a century. The action comes three weeks after the NBA approved Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam’s acquisition of a 25% share in the team.
“The decision to make this change was extremely difficult,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a statement announcing the move Thursday. “Bud led our club through five fantastic seasons, the Bucks’ first championship in 50 years, and an era of sustained success. We are grateful to Bud for fostering a winning and leadership culture in Milwaukee.
This is an opportunity for us to concentrate and reenergize our efforts as we prepare for the next championship season.”
During Budenholzer’s tenure, the Bucks had the most combined regular-season and playoff wins of any team, as well as the league’s top regular-season record in three of his five seasons in charge. In Milwaukee, he went 271-120 during the regular season and 39-26 in the playoffs.
Budenholzer’s Bucks, led by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, achieved heights not seen since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wore a Milwaukee uniform in the early 1970s.
With the notable exception of the 2021 championship season, the Bucks were unable to replicate their regular-season dominance in the playoffs.
