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Milwaukee Bucks fire head coach Mike Budenholzer - "The decision to make this change was very difficult"

Bud’s time in Milwaukee ends after five seasons

Matthew Dugandzic

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
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The Milwaukee Bucks have parted ways with head coach Mike Budenholzer after a disastrous end to a season filled with title expectations. The 53-year-old was the team's head coach for the last five seasons and, in 2021, helped steer the franchise to its first NBA championship since 1971.

Difficult decision

Bucks general manager Jon Horst said the decision was a challenging one to make. After all, Budenholzer has helped oversee this era of sustained success by the Bucks, which sees them contend for an NBA title year in and out.

"The decision to make this change was very difficult," said Horst. "Bud helped lead our team for five incredible seasons, to the Bucks' first title in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success. We are grateful for the culture of winning and leadership that Bud helped create in Milwaukee."

During his time with the Bucks, Budenholzer collected 271 wins against just 120 losses—which was the league's best record during that stretch. Budenholzer also led the Bucks to a 38-23 record in the NBA Playoffs in the last five years.

Fell short

Despite the Bucks' impeccable record in the last five years, they only have one NBA title to show for it. Although injuries have played a significant role in their Playoff defeats—All-Star Khris Middleton missed a chunk of the NBA Playoffs last season—Budenholzer's coaching chops were bested by his counterpart from Miami in the first round of this year's NBA Playoffs.

While the Bucks missed Giannis for a few games, the team still had a formidable roster with Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, and Middleton. On the other hand, Miami lost two aces to injuries, namely Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo. Though the odds were stacked against them, the Heat pulled off the series victory in five games, largely thanks to the heroics of star wingman Jimmy Butler, who averaged a whopping 37 points in the series.

"This is an opportunity for us to refocus and re energize our efforts as we continue building toward our next championship season," said Horst.

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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.