Eliminated in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday fired coach Mike Budenholzer, who guided them to the NBA title two years earlier.
Best record in the league at the end of the regular season and among favorites for the final crowning glory, the Bucks fell from the start against Miami in the Eastern Conference, a major disappointment Budenholzer paid the price for.
“Today we announced that the Milwaukee Bucks have parted ways with Coach Mike Budenholzer,” franchise president Peter Feigin and general manager Jon Horst wrote in an open letter to fans.
“It was a very difficult decision. +Bud+ helped guide our team through five incredible seasons, to the Bucks’ first title in 50 years and then into a boom period.”
Milwaukee, bereft of star Giannis Antetokounmpo for nearly three games, was no match for the Heat in the first round of the playoffs, losing the series 4-1.
Led by Mike Budenholzer (2018–2023), the Bucks never missed the playoffs and came close to qualifying for the NBA Finals in 2019. That year, Budenholzer was named coach of the season.
Two years later, Milwaukee finally defeated Phoenix in six games to win the NBA title and end a half-century drought since the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar era.
In addition to the departure of Mike Budenholzer, the Bucks will have further construction sites in the coming months and seasons, as the contracts of the top performers around Antetokounmpo are gradually expiring.