Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer reuniting with notable former player
Mar 9, 2020; Denver, Colorado, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
It is not quite Slash reuniting with Axl, but Mike Budenholzer is still having a noteworthy reunion of his own.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday that the Milwaukee Bucks coach Budenholzer is adding one of his former players to his coaching staff — retired forward DeMarre Carroll.
Carroll himself confirmed the news in a subsequent Twitter post.
Excited to be shadowing one of the best coaches in the league! He’s been a mentor throughout my career. Thank you Coach Bud and the Milwuakee Bucks Organization for allowing me this assistant coaching opportunity. Let’s go! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/ZJhJThnCi3
— DeMarre Carroll (@DeMarreCarroll1) August 2, 2022
Carroll, now 36, played for Budenholzer on the Atlanta Hawks from 2013 to 2015. They had a successful partnership, as the Hawks won 60 games in 2014-15 (still a franchise record) and also made the Eastern Conference Finals that year. Carroll would go on to make four more NBA stops (with Toronto, Brooklyn, San Antonio, and Houston) but has been out of the league since 2020.
Now Carroll is set to be an assistant for a Budenholzer-led Bucks team that will have championship ambitions in 2022-23. This news also comes just a couple of weeks after another ex-Budenholzer player landed a job with a different NBA team.
