Bucks give coach Budenholzer three-year contract extension
Eight days after ending a five-decade NBA championship drought, Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst said extending the man who captained the 2020-21 title team was a priority.
Coach Mike Budenholzer had one year left on his original contract signed in 2018, and the club announced Tuesday it added to that. ESPN reported an additional three years were tacked on, giving him a contract through the 202425 season.
“Doesn't mean that we're going to do it again next year or that we'll ever do it again, but collectively I think we've proven that we can work really well together,” Horst said July 30. “We can accomplish big things. We have a mission, we're all pulling in the same direction and ‘Bud's' an incredible partner, some
one I want to work with for as long as I possibly can, the player’s want to work with and our ownership trusts and believes in.”
In Budenholzer’s three seasons he has guided the Bucks to the NBA’s best regular season record (162-65, .714) and the most playoff wins (31).
“What an incredible journey we’ve been on and winning the NBA championship this season makes us appreciate how difficult it is to win and how grateful we are to have the best players and coaches in place to get the job done,” Bucks owners Marc Lasry, Wes Edens and Jamie Dinan said in the announcement.
“Mike’s strong leadership, coaching expertise, commitment to player development, and adaptability have been instrumental as we work together to compete for and win championships. We’re thrilled with the work Bud has done together with Jon Horst and (team president) Peter Feigin and are proud to sign him to this extension.”
Budenholzer was named the 201819 coach of the year after leading the Bucks to a regular-season-best 60-22 mark in his first year on the bench, but the Bucks surrendered a 2-0 Eastern Conference finals lead to Toronto and eventually lost in six games. The Bucks marched to a 56-17 regular-season mark last year before exiting the playoffs in the second round against Miami in the NBA’s COVID bubble in Florida.
The Bucks had changed their offense this year and experimented with different defenses. The offense set a franchise record for points per game at 120.1, a number not seen in the league since 1984-85.
Throughout the season, and after falling behind Brooklyn, 2-0, in the Eastern Conference semifinals, it was reported Budenholzer’s job was on the line.
Before the NBA Finals, however, Lasry told The Journal Sentinel: “There was no truth to it. But what ends up happening is you can’t sort of listen to what the media is talking about because they were going to write what they need to write. I just felt bad for Bud. That was really it. How would you like to be reading about yourself, people saying it’s over. I get it. It’s part of the business we’re all in. I think it was hard for him.”
The Bucks defeated the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals without an injured Giannis Antetokounmpo the last two games and subsequently rallied from a two-game deficit to topple the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals.
Budenholzer was hired by the Bucks on May 17, 2018. He reached 100 and 150 victories the fastest in franchise history. He is tied for fifth in franchise history in regular season wins and is third in playoff victories.
Under Budenholzer’s direction, Antetokounmpo developed into a threetime first-team all-NBA player, and a two-time MVP and defensive player of the year. Khris Middleton became a two-time all-star, while Eric Bledsoe, Brook Lopez and Holiday joined Antetokounmpo as all-defensive team members.
“Bud is a great coach and a fantastic partner to work with every day as we build a team that consistently competes for championships,” Horst said in the announcement. “We’re extremely grateful for the leadership Bud provides and we look forward to building on the success we’ve had over the last three years and congratulate Bud on this welldeserved extension.”