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Mike Budenholzer is out in Phoenix after just one season.
The former Milwaukee Bucks head coach was fired by the Suns on Monday a day after the regular season concluded, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
His dismissal comes after a disappointing year for the Suns, who missed the playoffs for the first time in five seasons with a 36-46 record.
The Suns ended the season having lost nine of their last 10 games as they were fighting for a spot in the play-in tournament.
It was a stunning ending to a season that started with a lot of promise and hope with Budenholzer in charge to lead All-Stars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. The Suns' next coach will be their fourth in the last four years. And it's the second straight season Suns management is firing their head coach after one season.
Budenholzer coached the Bucks for five seasons and led them to the playoffs every season, including the NBA championship in 2021. The Bucks also had the No. 1 seed in the playoffs three times during Budenholzer's tenure and had the best winning percentage in the NBA during that span.
Budenholzer was fired by the Bucks after the 2022-23 season following a shocking first-round exit to the Miami Heat when Milwaukee was the top seed. He then took a year off from coaching before being hired by the Suns last offseason. It was a homecoming of sorts for Budenholzer, who grew up a few hours from Phoenix and has family in Arizona.
The Suns began the season hot with a 9-2 record but they quickly fell off and were under .500 before the calendar turned to 2025. Phoenix never could recover and injuries to Durant (62 games played) and Beal (53 games played) didn't help matters, either.
Budenholzer made his return to Milwaukee a couple weeks ago when the Suns played the Bucks at Fiserv Forum and was welcomed with a warm reception from fans and Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ex-Bucks NBA champion coach Mike Budenholzer fired by the Phoenix Suns
Continue reading...
The former Milwaukee Bucks head coach was fired by the Suns on Monday a day after the regular season concluded, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
His dismissal comes after a disappointing year for the Suns, who missed the playoffs for the first time in five seasons with a 36-46 record.
The Suns ended the season having lost nine of their last 10 games as they were fighting for a spot in the play-in tournament.
It was a stunning ending to a season that started with a lot of promise and hope with Budenholzer in charge to lead All-Stars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. The Suns' next coach will be their fourth in the last four years. And it's the second straight season Suns management is firing their head coach after one season.
Budenholzer coached the Bucks for five seasons and led them to the playoffs every season, including the NBA championship in 2021. The Bucks also had the No. 1 seed in the playoffs three times during Budenholzer's tenure and had the best winning percentage in the NBA during that span.
Budenholzer was fired by the Bucks after the 2022-23 season following a shocking first-round exit to the Miami Heat when Milwaukee was the top seed. He then took a year off from coaching before being hired by the Suns last offseason. It was a homecoming of sorts for Budenholzer, who grew up a few hours from Phoenix and has family in Arizona.
The Suns began the season hot with a 9-2 record but they quickly fell off and were under .500 before the calendar turned to 2025. Phoenix never could recover and injuries to Durant (62 games played) and Beal (53 games played) didn't help matters, either.
Budenholzer made his return to Milwaukee a couple weeks ago when the Suns played the Bucks at Fiserv Forum and was welcomed with a warm reception from fans and Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ex-Bucks NBA champion coach Mike Budenholzer fired by the Phoenix Suns
Continue reading...
