Bucks fire head coach Mike Budenholzer after first-round upset to Heat: report

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The Milwaukee Bucks are going in a different direction at head coach after they reportedly fired Mike Budenholzer following the team’s upset loss in the first round of the playoffs to the Miami Heat. 

The Bucks had the best record in the NBA this season at 58-24, yet the Milwaukee front office believed it was time for a fresh mind leading the team after it took the eighth-seeded Heat just five games to defeat them. 

Jimmy Butler scored 98 points in the final two games of the series, including an off-balance inbound bucket that sent Game 5 to overtime. Miami eventually won, 128-126. 

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© Patrick McDermott/Getty Images Head coach Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at Fiserv Forum March 22, 2023, in Milwaukee. Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

The move by the Bucks is especially shocking considering Budenholzer was at the helm when Milwaukee won it all in 2021, its first NBA championship since 1971. 

Budenholzer revealed to The Athletic he had lost one of his three brothers prior to Game 4 of the series. He died from injuries in a car accident. 

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BUCKS’ MIKE BUDENHOLZER’S BROTHER DIED DURING PLAYOFF SERIES LOSS TO HEAT

Budenholzer didn’t discuss his brother’s death during the series, but Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, who was an assistant under Budenholzer for four seasons in Milwaukee, told reporters last week what Budenholzer was going through. 

© Patrick McDermott/Getty Images Head coach Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts after a call during the second half of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoffs against the Miami Heat at Fiserv Forum April 19, 2023, in Milwaukee. Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

“Coach Bud is going through a lot on a personal level,” Ham said. “He just lost a brother. So, my apologies, Bud, if I wasn’t supposed to let anybody know. He and I have been texting. I love those guys.” 

Budenholzer spent the past five seasons leading the Bucks to an overall record of 271-120 (.693) in 391 games. His title in 2021 was the first of his career. 

Budenholzer has five prior years of head coaching experience with the Atlanta Hawks, where he spent five seasons from 2013-2018 before moving on to Milwaukee. 

© Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images Head coach Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks is interviewed after Game 5 of the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs April 26, 2023, at the Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee. Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images

A coach with loads of experience in the NBA, Budenholzer should be a hot commodity this offseason for teams in the market for a new head coach.