MILWAUKEE — Multiple league sources are reporting that the Milwaukee Bucks are dismissing first-year head coach Adrian Griffin after just 43 games in his first season in the role. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Bucks plan to elevate assistant coach Joe Prunty to an interim coaching role.
Griffin was hired by the Bucks during the 2023 offseason after the franchise parted ways with head coach Mike Budenholzer. They held an extensive coaching search in the offseason with General Manager Jon Horst citing Griffin’s character and experience as a player and assistant coach as reasons why he was right for the job.
In the wake of this firing, Adrian Griffin has become one of the shortest-tenured head coaches in NBA history. Griffin, whose defensive prowess was touted as a top reason he was selected for the role, has led the team to just 22nd in Defensive Rating so far this year for the Eastern Conference’s second seed.
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Reporting from both The Athletic’s Shams Charania and TNT’s Chris B. Haynes suggest the team is heavily considering Doc Rivers as the top candidate. Rivers, 62, was the head coach of the Orlando Magic (1999-2003), Boston Celtics (2004-2013), Los Angeles Clippers (2013-2020) and Philadelphia 76ers (2000-2023).
He was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2000 and won a title with Boston in 2008. The league named him one of the 15 greatest coaches in the history of the NBA and led his teams to a 1,097-763 overall record (59%). His teams won at least 50 regular season games 10 times.
“This was a difficult decision to make during the season,” said Bucks General Manager Jon Horst. “We are working immediately toward hiring our next head coach. We thank Coach Griffin for his hard work and contributions to the team.”
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