MILWAUKEE — Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam said the decision to hire Taylor Jenkins as head coach was straightforward.
"We knew who we wanted to hire as our coach, and it was Taylor Jenkins," Haslam said. "Every reference was outstanding. To a man, everyone said he's one of the best guys you'll ever meet."
General Manager Jon Horst said the organization was focused on building, not rebuilding, and that Jenkins was the clear choice to lead that effort.
"I've never been around someone who cares more about details and operation and process than Taylor," Horst said. "Put that together with curiosity, his intelligence, the love for the game, how much he competes, and then the great person that he is — this is an incredible opportunity for our organization."
Horst said the hiring process was intentionally focused and efficient.
"We did our work, we did our due diligence, we did our research," Horst said. "This is the person that we feel and we believe is the right person to lead with us and partner with us. It's much bigger than any individual. It's about establishing a culture, a style of play, a style of work and a style of living that's consistent and that we can rely on each and every day and each and every year."
Watch: Taylor Jenkins named head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in 'full circle' return
Jenkins, who previously served as an assistant coach with the Bucks, called the moment a full circle return for his family.
"We're home," Jenkins said. "I understand the great responsibility of representing this world-class organization, the great city of Milwaukee, and the great state of Wisconsin. Milwaukee made a profound and lasting impact on me and my family, and we are making Milwaukee our home."
Jenkins said the decision to return came down to the people.
"It was pretty easy for me. It's people," Jenkins said. "I've known Jon for many years. I have high regard and respect for him. And as I got to spend time with Jimmy and Wes intimately in our home, it became very clear these are individuals I want to partner with. Even coming back as a visiting coach, this was always the one city in the NBA that I couldn't wait to come back to."
Jenkins outlined three pillars that will define his approach: compete, together, and get better.
"I don't want to overcomplicate this," Jenkins said. "From day one, it's how we're going to be the most competitive team in all areas of what we do — not just on the court, but also off the court."
Jenkins said competitiveness will be the foundation of his vision for the team.
"We're going to be the most competitive team. It's not just how hard you play. It's your preparation, your execution, the sacrifice that you make, your willingness to go the extra mile," Jenkins said.
Jenkins spent six years as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies before taking the Bucks job and said those years shaped how he approaches building a program.
"In my time in Memphis, my mentality was always we're building something. We're trying to daily get better," Jenkins said. "I've got to look in the mirror first and figure out how I'm going to get better every single day because I want them to feel that from me."
On the question of Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose future with the franchise remains uncertain, Haslam said a decision will be made before the NBA Draft.
"Giannis brought Milwaukee its second championship, first in 50 years. He's a phenomenal player, a phenomenal person, and arguably one of the best basketball players in the world," Haslam said. "We will do what's best for Giannis and what's best for the organization. We don't know whether Giannis will stay with us or not, but we'll work through that with Giannis in the coming weeks."
Horst confirmed that Giannis was not involved in the coaching search, calling the hire about something larger than any one player.
Jenkins said he has already spoken with Giannis since the hire was announced.
"He's expressed tremendous excitement for me and my family," Jenkins said. "I've actually been able to touch base with the entire roster, start building that relationship, learn about each other, what's going to matter to us moving forward and how we're going to build this together."
The Bucks also hold a lottery pick in the upcoming draft, their first since Horst's front office tenure began. Horst said the organization views it as a significant asset.
"Whether it ends up being two or it ends up being 11, it's going to be important," Horst said. "It's also an opportunity to have an asset that we can consider using to build the team in other ways."
Jenkins said he and Horst are already deep into draft preparation.
"We are doing extensive work," Jenkins said. "We want to be very intentional about the person. We're going to start with competitiveness, basketball IQ, physical toughness. We want to get this right."
Jenkins closed with a direct message to Bucks fans.
"When you watch the Bucks, you're going to be proud," Jenkins said. "Our team is going to play with pride to represent our city. You're going to hear 'compete' over and over and over again, but you can be proud of who's representing you."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
