Budenholzer agrees to three-year extension as Bucks coach
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer reacts during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference basketball finals game against the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in Milwaukee.
MILWAUKEE — For Mike Budenholzer, it turns out winning a franchise’s first championship in half a century is good for job security.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ head coach is agreeing to a three-year contract extension with the team, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Bucks officially announced the move shortly after Wojnarowski’s report.
“The appreciation I have for being a part of the Bucks organization is hard to express,” Budenholzer said in a statement released by the team. “The players make the success happen on and off the court. We have the best players and to them I am grateful. They’ve grown and we’ve grown together during the last three seasons. ”
“Coach Bud” would have been entering his final season under contract with the team had a deal not been reached.
While Budenholzer took the brunt of the criticism for the team falling short in the NBA playoffs in recent years — including losing a 2-1 series lead in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals against the eventual champion Toronto Raptors — Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a vocal supporter of his over the years. The Bucks are 31-17 in the playoffs under Budenholzer.
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Budenholzer has led the Bucks to a 162-65 record in his three seasons with the team, including posting the best record in the Eastern Conference in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. He won the NBA’s Coach of the Year award in 2018-2019, as well as in 2014-2015, when he coached the Atlanta Hawks.
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