Giannis Antetokounmpo Vouched for Adrian Griffin Prior to Bucks Hire, per Report

The franchise kept its star player in the loop throughout the process.

The Bucks hired former Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin as the franchise’s next head coach on Saturday, and it turns out their star player is a key reason why.

Giannis Antetokounmpo met with Griffin during the interview process and vouched for him to become the franchise’s next coach, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. In fact, Antetokounmpo met with each finalist in his home on Tuesday before Milwaukee came to its decision.

After each candidate spoke with the front office for one last time on Wednesday, Antetokounmpo and fellow Bucks star Khris Middleton were invited to dinner with general manager Jon Horst and the ownership team to discuss the finalists, a list that included Griffin, former Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson.

Nurse pulled his name out of the search early on Saturday, and Milwaukee ultimately decided on hiring Griffin, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Griffin, 48, has never been a head coach, but has been an assistant for the Bulls, Magic, Thunder, Raptors and the Bucks.