Bucks make major change after first-round playoff exit

Oct 23, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) warms up before the game against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks have decided to make a major change following their disappointing postseason performance this year.

The Bucks anounced on Thursday that they are firing Mike Budenholzer as their head coach. The team said in their press release that “this was a very difficult decision.”

A letter from Bucks General Manager Jon Horst and Team President Peter Feigin. pic.twitter.com/8Y8t8V918x

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) May 4, 2023

The firing comes two years after Budenholzer led the Bucks to their first championship since 1971.

Milwaukee went 58-24 in the regular season and earned the No. 1 seed in the East. But Giannis Antetokounmpo got hurt in the first quarter of their difficult playoff series with the Miami Heat and ended up effectively missing three games of the series. Though the Bucks won Game 2 without Antetokounmpo, they lost Games 4 and 5 with him to become the sixth No. 1 seed to be eliminated by a No. 8 seed.

Budenholzer’s firing comes after the coach was criticized for making some tactical errors in the series, including one to which he admitted. There was immediate speculation after the series that he could lose his job, and that came to fruition.

The firing also comes at a difficult time for Budenholzer personally.