Bucks Fire Mike Budenholzer; Spurs Return?

The San Antonio Spurs could reunite with coach Mike Budenholzer after the Milwaukee Bucks fired him.

Jeremy Brener | May 7, 2023

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

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San Antonio Spurs

It's been a decade since Mike Budenholzer left Gregg Popovich's bench with the San Antonio Spurs to be a head coach of his own.

But after five seasons each with the Atlanta Hawks (2013-18) and Milwaukee Bucks (2018-2023), Budenholzer is looking for a new home.

The former Spurs assistant spent 17 years under Popovich in San Antonio and was apart of the first four championships in franchise history. Then, as a head coach, he won a ring with the Bucks in 2021. However, Milwaukee's decline since hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy led to his firing earlier this month.

Now that the 53-year-old former Coach of the Year is unemployed, could Pop give him his old job back?

The Spurs would love to have someone familiar to their system back in the fold, especially as a potential successor for Popovich should he decide to retire soon. However, other teams may offer Budenholzer a head coaching job sooner than San Antonio would.

Currently, the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors have head coaching vacancies, both of which could be filled by Budenholzer.

However, if both of those teams go in different directions with their respective head coaching searches, Budenholzer may find himself back where it all started.

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Published May 7, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.