MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks have narrowed the list of promising candidates for head coach, after the team fired championship-winning Head Coach Mike Budenholzer after 5 seasons.
That's according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, who tweeted Monday that the Bucks narrowed down a group of top candidates in the franchise’s head coaching search.
They are Nick Nurse, Kenny Atkinson and Adrian Griffin. "These coaches will be part of final conversations with Milwaukee leadership this week," according to Wojo.
Wojo adds that Nurse "looms prominently in Phoenix and Philadelphia searches too."
ESPN Sources: The Bucks are narrowing group of top candidates in franchise’s head coaching search: Nick Nurse, Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson and Toronto assistant Adrian Griffin. These coaches will be part of final conversations with Milwaukee leadership this week.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 22, 2023
Nick Nurse
Nurse most recently served as head coach of the Toronto Raptors. He led the team to an NBA championship in 2019. He was named coach of the year in the NBA in 2020. He played basketball for the Northern Iowa Panthers.
Kenny Atkinson
Atkinson is the assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors. He was head coach of the Brooklyn Nets from 2016-2020. He played for the University of Richmond and won a Sweet Sixteen berth in the NCAA men's division in 1988.
Adrian Griffin
Griffin is the assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors. He played for Seton Hall University. He was hired in 2018 under first-year Raptors head coach, Nick Nurse - the same one identified earlier in this article.
Coach Bud out
As TMJ4 News reported, Milwaukee Bucks dismissed coach Mike Budenholzer.
The news comes after the Bucks, the East's top-seed, suffered a first-round playoff loss to the Miami Heat. The Bucks were the sixth 1-seed in NBA history to lose to an 8-seed.
“The decision to make this change was very difficult,” said Bucks general manager Jon Horst in a statement. “Bud helped lead our team for five incredible seasons, to the Bucks’ first title in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success. We are grateful for the culture of winning and leadership that Bud helped create in Milwaukee. This is an opportunity for us to refocus and reenergize our efforts as we continue building toward our next championship season.”
Budenholzer spent five seasons as Milwaukee's coach and helped the team win a championship in the 2021 NBA Finals. It was the Bucks' first championship in 50 years.
Under Budenholzer, the team won 58 games during the 2022-23 season before losing to the Heat in the first round of the playoffs. ESPN reports that in Game 5, Budenholzer decided not to use his final timeouts during game-winning scenarios.
According to ESPN, the Bucks, Lakers, and Raptors have all parted ways with championship-winning coaches.
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