This past Tuesday represented Mike Budenholzer’s first return to Milwaukee. He went up against the Bucks, his old team, for the first time since they fired him as head coach two seasons ago. Currently at the helm of the Phoenix Suns, Budenholzer’s visit marked a significant moment in his career. He remained focused on the game rather than reflecting on his past with the Bucks.
In his post-game press conference, Budenholzer revealed that his primary goal was to deliver the right message to his players. Consequently, he missed the opportunity to fully appreciate the importance of the moment. The Suns, on the other hand, couldn’t keep up with the Bucks, marking their fourth straight loss, 133-123. This crushing loss left the Suns back against the ropes. They now find themselves 11th in the Western Conference standings, just one place behind making it into the play-in tournament.
As documented here, Budenholzer’s tenure with the Bucks is one that was filled with shining accomplishments. During the 2020-21 season, he led the Suns to their first NBA championship in 50 years. His run with the franchise came to an unfortunate end after the 2021-22 season. In doing so, he compiled a brilliant regular-season record of 271-120 and an even more impressive playoff record of 39-26. Then came his firing — after the Bucks, even with the league’s best record, were famously upset by the Miami Heat in the first round.
Looking back on his old squad, Budenholzer today was proud of the way the Hawks defended.
“I thought defensively our effort, our (will to) compete was at a very high level…. The basket was big for them tonight.” – Mike Budenholzer
Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks’ forward, has made two MVPs in Budenholzer’s tutelage. He admitted there will be an odd feeling going up against his old coach.
“I thought they were going to play like a video for him. They didn’t, which was surprising to me. I felt like they should.” – Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo humorously reflected on the challenges of seeing Budenholzer now complain about plays he used to champion during their championship run.
“It’s definitely weird seeing him complain about plays that I do, charges and blah-blah-blah, push-off and all that. And it’s the stuff that he loved when I did it when we were on the same team and won a championship together.” – Giannis Antetokounmpo
Budenholzer has had tremendous success with the Bucks. At least until recently, when he took the Sunsʻ new team president role, that is. The Suns have had their own issues, particularly with the injury woes of new stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. This makes hazardous circumstances for Budenholzer, as he seeks to guide his new team again into playoff rivalry.
As the Suns fell further behind in the standings, two games behind ninth-place Dallas and 1.5 games behind tenth-place Sacramento, Budenholzer admitted that he is human and feels the weight of these challenges.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m human,” – Mike Budenholzer
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