Milwaukee Bucks fire head coach Mike Budenholzer after five seasons

The Milwaukee Bucks have fired head coach Mike Budenholzer just one week after getting bounced in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the team announced Thursday.

Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a statement Thursday that this move is a chance for the franchise to “refocus” on winning another championship.

“The decision to make this change was very difficult,” Horst said. “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.”

Milwaukee, which went 58-24 and was the No. 1 seed in the East this season, lost in five games to the 8-seed Miami Heat in the first round. Furthermore, the Bucks blew double-digit fourth-quarter leads in Games 4 and 5 of the series.

The Bucks went 391-271 with Budenholzer at the helm, most notably winning the 2021 NBA Finals. They made the playoffs and were a 6-seed or better in each of the past five seasons.

The Bucks hired Budenholzer, 53, in 2018 after he served as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks the five years prior. With Mike Budenholzer out in Milwaukee, three of the last four head coaches to win an NBA title are no longer with those teams.

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