The Milwaukee Bucks have announced the appointment of Adrian Griffin as their new head coach following the sacking of title-winning manager Mike Budenholzer.
Budenholzer, who led the Bucks to a league-best record this regular season, won them their second-ever NBA championship in 2021. However, he was fired after a first-round exit in the playoffs following a 4-1 series defeat to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat.
Griffin, however, is not a stranger to the Bucks franchise, having worked as an assistant manager for the organization for two years under former head Scott Skiles from 2008–2010.
Griffin becomes the 17th head coach in franchise history.
Welcome back to Milwaukee!! https://t.co/xUbhOXtzBV pic.twitter.com/l20DZkzhBk
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) June 5, 2023
He becomes the 17th head coach in Bucks’ history, and he brings along an immense wealth of experience, having been a coach for about 15 seasons, most recently as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors, where he worked for five years and built his reputation as an elite defensive coordinator.
“I’m incredibly honored and grateful to Wes, Jamie, Dee, Jimmy and Jon to be named the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks,” the newly-appointed Griffin said.
“The Bucks are a championship organization and I’m thrilled to work with an established roster of high character and talented players. I’m excited to be back in Milwaukee and I can’t wait to get started.”
The 48-year-old’s coaching experience spreads across the NBA, having spent time with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2016–18), Orlando Magic (2015–16), and Chicago Bulls (2010–15).
Bucks’ general manager Jon Horst spoke highly of their new head coach and highlighted the reasons behind him [Griffin] being the right pick.
“Adrian is a widely-respected coach and former player, who brings great leadership and experience to our team,” Horst pointed out. “His championship-level coaching pedigree, character, basketball acumen and ability to connect with and develop players make him the ideal choice to lead our team. He has earned this opportunity.”
Over the course of his coaching career, Griffin was part of teams that made the playoffs eleven times, made the Conference Finals twice, and was on the Raptors team that won the NBA title in 2019. He also has experience working at the national team level, as he was part of the coaching team that led the USA men’s basketball team to a gold medal at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain in 2014.
Griffin’s move to Milwaukee will see him work with a group of extremely talented individuals who came up short this year, led by two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo alongside veterans like Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and Brook Lopez.
