MILWAUKEE — Head coach Mike Budenholzer has been fired by the Milwaukee Bucks, according to NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. This decision comes on the heels of Milwaukee becoming the sixth No. 1 seed in league history to be eliminated in the first round of the Playoffs.
Budenholzer, who coached the team for five seasons beginning in 2018, led the team to its first championship in 50 years during the 2020-21 NBA season and finished his Bucks career with a 271-120 record with a winning percentage of 69.3%.
“The decision to make this change was very difficult,” said Bucks general manager Jon Horst. “Bud helped lead our team for five incredible seasons, to the Bucks’ first title in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success. We are grateful for the culture of winning and leadership that Bud helped create in Milwaukee.
“This is an opportunity for us to refocus and reenergize our efforts as we continue building toward our next championship season.”
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The Milwaukee Bucks were the No. 1 seed in the NBA this season with a 58-24 record — the best in the NBA. However, the Bucks were thwarted in six games by the No. 8 seed Miami Heat. Budenholzer was widely criticized for his poor timeout management in Milwaukee’s Game 6 overtime loss.
He first allowed regulation to close out with 0.5 seconds in regulation despite having a timeout available to him. He then allowed the final clock to expire with Grayson Allen’s eurostep despite having timeouts available in the final possession of the Milwaukee Bucks’ season.
However, it was revealed in the days to come that Budenholzer was dealing with a family tragedy during the first-round series. When asked about Milwaukee’s first-round collapse, former Bucks assistant and Budenholzer’s friend, Darvin Ham revealed that Budenholzer lost his brother in a car accident recently.
In an appearance on SportsCenter, Wojnarowski reported that the Bucks are expected to “take their time” with their search for another championship-caliber coach.
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