Bucks Zone

“Welcome to the family coach”- Giannis Antetokounmpo pens heartfelt message for new Milwaukee Bucks coach Adrian Griffin

The Greek Freak welcomes Adrian Griffin with open arms.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

To say that Giannis Antetokounmpo welcomed the hiring of Adrian Griffin as the new Milwaukee Bucks with open arms is an understatement.

Antetokounmpo and Griffin are getting along just fine, as seen in a heartwarming photo that the Greek Freak posted on his social media accounts.

“Welcome to the family coach,” reads the two-time’s MVP post, accompanied by a photo showing Griffin sharing a light moment with the Greek Freak’s son inside a gym.

Bonding in Greece

Griffin and his coaching staff had flown to Greece to work out with Antetokounmpo, his brother Thanasis and other Bucks players.

Among those who joined the trip are assistant coaches Vin Baker and Josh Oppenheimer.

Antetokounmpo tagged along with the Bucks coaching staff in watching the Greek League Finals between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Greece. It has been reported that Giannis was very much involved in the team’s decision to hire Griffin.

Immense task ahead

During the head-coaching search, Griffin and the other finalists, Kenny Atkinson and Nick Nurse, had an individual meeting with Antetokounmpo at his River Hills, Wisconsin home.

The 48-year-old Griffin, who won a championship as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors, will be tasked to help the Bucks bounce back from a sorry campaign the past season.

The disappointing 2023 run saw the Bucks suffer a first-round playoff loss to the Miami Heat, putting to waste their remarkable regular-season run in which they finished with a league-best 58-24 record to earn the overall top seed in the postseason.

The sooner-than-later exit paved the way for the firing of Mike Budenholzer, who led the Bucks to a championship in 2021. Aside from holdovers Baker and Oppenheimer, the Griffin-led coaching crew includes Terry Stotts, DJ Bakker, Joe Puntry, Nate Mitchell, and Patrick Mutombo.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.