Mike Budenholzer led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA title in 50 years and the franchise has rewarded the coach with a new three-year contract. The 52-year-old will now remain with the franchise until the 2024-25 season.
Budenholzer expressed his delight in having extended his stay with the champions. He said in a statement:
“The appreciation I have for being a part of the Bucks organization is hard to express. 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,”
“We all can’t wait to get back to work and face the great challenge of competing again for an NBA Championship. … Let’s keep getting better and building great teams and doing great work on and off the court.” the two-time coach of the year added
The coach’s journey with the franchise began with a run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019 where they lost to eventual winners Toronto Raptors. In the subsequent season inside the bubble, the Bucks were shocked in the Conference Finals at the hands of the Miami Heat, who went on to win the conference and contest in the finals.
There were reports emerging that Budenholzer’s future with the franchise heavily depended on the Bucks’ performance in the postseason. The team fared well in the regular season and finished behind the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. In the first round of the playoffs, they swept past the Heat and then contested in a closely contested series against Brooklyn Nets before claiming the conference title by defeating Atlanta Hawks.
The Bucks overturned a 2-0 deficit to win the NBA title with Giannis Antetokounmpo winning the Finals MVP award.
“Bud is a great coach and a fantastic partner to work with every day as we build a team that consistently competes for championships,” said Bucks general manager Jon Horst.
Prior to his ongoing stint with the Milwaukee Bucks, Budenholzer was the coach at Atlanta Hawks where he led the franchise to the playoffs on four occasions in five seasons.
Also Read:
Stephen Curry aims to prolong his career like NFL legend Tom Brady
