Bucks hire Mike Budenholzer’s replacement following first-round exit: reports

The Milwaukee Bucks are hiring Toronto Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin to become their next head coach, according to multiple reports.

Griffin began his coaching career as an assistant coach for the Bucks alongside Scott Skiles. He then worked with the Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder and Raptors.

The former NBA player had been with the Raptors since the 2018 season and won a championship in 2019.

The Bucks fired Mike Budenholzer after they were a first-round exit despite earning to No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with their 58-24 record. They fell to the Miami Heat, who are one win away over the second-seeded Boston Celtics from making the NBA Finals.

Budenholzer was the head coach when Milwaukee won the NBA title in 2021.

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Budenholzer revealed to The Athletic he had lost one of his three brothers prior to Game 4 of the series. He died from injuries in a car accident. 

He didn’t discuss his brother’s death during the series, but Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, who was an assistant under Budenholzer for four seasons in Milwaukee, told reporters last week what Budenholzer was going through. 

Griffin played 10 seasons in the NBA with the Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics.