The Phoenix Suns' head coach since May 2024, Michael "Mike" Budenholzer, is from Holbrook, Arizona. He is also known as "Bud" or "Coach Bud." He has been coaching since 1996 and won several awards, including the NBA Coach of the Year and NBA All-Star Game Head Coach in 2015 and 2019. Moreover, he was named the 2019 and 2020 NBCA Coach of the Year. In 2014-15, he won his first NBA Coach of the Year award during his time with the Atlanta Hawks.
After graduating from Holbrook High School, Budenholzer enrolled at Pomona College for four seasons in 1988–1991 and 1992–1993. He spent months playing in the Scottish National Basketball League for the Pentland in 1991. Later, in 1993–94, he averaged a team-high 27.5 points per game while playing professionally with Vejle Basketball Klub in Denmark.
What teams has Mike Budenholzer coached?
Mike Budenholzer began his coaching career in 1996 with the San Antonio Spurs, where he coached for 19 seasons under then-head coach Gregg Popovich. He then led the Atlanta Hawks as its head coach from 2013 until 2018. He also served as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks from 2018 to 2023.
However, Budenholzer was fired by the Bucks in May 2023 after they lost to the Miami Heat in five games during the first round of the playoffs. A year later, in May 2024, he was hired by the Phoenix Suns.
San Antonio Spurs (1996-2013)
Mike Budenholzer began working as a video coordinator for the NBA San Antonio Spurs at the beginning of the 1994–95 season. After serving in that capacity for two years, he was appointed head coach Gregg Popovich's assistant coach at the start of the 1996 season. During his 19-year tenure with the Spurs, Budenholzer was a member of the coaching staff that won four NBA titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007.
Atlanta Hawks (2013-2018)
After the 2013 NBA playoffs, Mike Budenholzer left San Antonio to start a new job as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks lost to the top-seeded Indiana Pacers in the opening round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs after qualifying for the Eastern Conference playoffs as the eighth seed. He led the Hawks to a 14-2 record in December 2014, earning him the title of Eastern Conference Coach of the Month.
After guiding the Hawks to the first-ever 17-0 month-long record in NBA history, he was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for January 2015. He later guided the Hawks to their deepest playoff run in 48 years and a franchise-record 60 victories. He was the assistant coach for Team Africa for the 2015 NBA Africa exhibition game. He and the Hawks decided to part ways in April 2018.
Milwaukee Bucks (2018-2023)
Mike Budenholzer was named the Milwaukee Bucks' next head coach in May 2018. His first season was successful for the Bucks, who finished with a 60-22 record. He was chosen in January to coach the East team in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game. At the end of the season, he was named the National Basketball Coaches Association's Coach of the Year and, for the second time in his career, the NBA Coach of the Year.
Budenholzer coached the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA championship in July 2021, defeating the Phoenix Suns in six games. The Bucks became the fifth club in NBA history to win the championship after dropping the first two games. The Bucks signed Budenholzer to a multi-year contract deal in August of the same year.
The Bucks had the league's best record at the end of the 2022-2023 regular season. But when the Bucks lost to the Miami Heat in five games in the first round of the playoffs, the Miami Heat would go on to become the first eight-seed to make it to the NBA Finals since the New York Knicks in 1998–1999. Budenholzer was sacked by the team in May 2023.
The move caused controversy among fans because Budenholzer lost his brother in a car accident during the series, and Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury was partly blamed for the series loss. Some believed that the series defeat and prior poor postseason performances made it the appropriate moment to do so, while others questioned the wisdom of doing so in light of Antetokounmpo's injury and Budenholzer's personal difficulties throughout the series.
Phoenix Suns
Mike Budenholzer was appointed the Phoenix Suns' head coach in May 2024. He signed a five-year contract worth $50 million, as per The Athletic.
FAQs on Mike Budenholzer
A. Mike Budenholzer has coached the San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, and since May 2024, the Phoenix Suns.
A. Mike Budenholzer won four NBA championships with the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007.
A. Yes, Mike Budenholzer led the Milwaukee Bucks as the head coach to an NBA championship in 2021.
A. Mike Budenholzer attended Pomona College, where he played basketball from 1988 to 1991 and in 1992-1993.
A. Yes, Mike Budenholzer played in the Scottish National Basketball League's Pentland and in Denmark for Vejle Basketball Klub.
