UPDATE: Listen to the new head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks as he joined Wisconsin’s Afternoon News to talk his coaching inspirations, meeting with Giannis, and his long journey to his new role.
WTMJ Sports Director Greg Matzek had an exclusive conversation with Adrian Griffin just moments after his first press conference since being named the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. View in your browser or on YouTube by clicking here.
MILWAUKEE — In a crowded room overlooking the Deer District and Fiserv Forum, all eyes were on newly minted head coach Adrian Griffin. The new leader of the Milwaukee Bucks recalled the last day of his playing career, and the first step in a new journey that started and eventually, led back to this franchise.
“We bussed up to Chicago for our season opener, and at that time, [the deadline] to set the roster was at 3 p.m. I’m looking at my watch and I’m like ‘Man, it’s 2:59,’ but my phone rang, and it was Scott Skiles,” Griffin recalled. “He said ‘It hurts me to tell you this — you know, I tried to fight for you — but we’ve got to let you go. But why don’t you join my staff?’
“I knew these jobs were hard to come by, so I took a couple of days, and when the team returned to Milwaukee, I joined the staff,” Griffin recalled. “I’ve been so fortunate to finish my career and then start my coaching career within a couple of days. I’m truly blessed.”
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Griffin had nothing but praise for the city of Milwaukee and its fans, citing their passion over the years from his playing days to his 10 years as an assistant coach in Milwaukee, Chicago, Orlando, Oklahoma City, and most recently, in Toronto.
General Manager Jon Horst said that the initial round of interviews consisted of 20 candidates, which was narrowed to 15 for interviews. That group was pared down to six coaches who were heavily vetted within the league before interacting with players and team personnel. He felt it was clear that Griffin was the right choice.
“I would tell you that there was probably a bias internally that made me think we would probably have some head coaching experience in the package, but I didn’t allow that bias to overrun our process in any way,” Horst said. “Head coaching experience is one level of experience, but NBA experience is another incredibly valuable level of experience, and there is no one that we spent time with that’s more experienced than Adrian Griffin to be a head coach in the NBA.”
Already, players have put their support behind Griffin as a group including Joe Ingles, Grayson Allen, Jevon Carter, MarJon Beauchamp, AJ Green and Meyers Leonard attended the press conference. He spoke highly of the team’s top-tier talent and confirmed that he spent time with star Giannis Giannis Antetokounmpo during the interviewing process.
His biggest takeaway was that Giannis was humble, hard-working and desperately wanted to bring another championship to Milwaukee. That reminded him of his time coaching other great players; mentioning Kawhi Leonard, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook by name. The common thread between them, he said, was their unwavering commitment to the work it took to achieve greatness.
Despite not quite reaching those heights as a player, these are the same qualities that Griffin values within himself as a coach.
“I believe in the preparation that goes into sitting in this seat,” Griffin said. “I’m just extremely appreciative of the path that I’ve taken. You know, everyone’s path is different, but to wait 15 years for this job, it was worth it.”
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