Head coach Adrian Griffin of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on during the first half of the game against the Houston Rockets at Fiserv Forum on Dec. 17, 2023, in Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee Bucks are making a major change midway through the 2023-24 NBA regular season.
Milwaukee has fired head coach Adrian Griffin after a 30-13 start to his first season at the helm, the team confirmed on Tuesday.
"This was a difficult decision to make during the season," Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a statement. "We thank Coach Griffin for his hard work and contributions to the team."
Assistant Joe Prunty will take over as interim head coach, but Horst said the team is "working immediately toward hiring our next head coach."
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The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that Doc Rivers has emerged as a "serious candidate" to become the Bucks' new head coach. Rivers coached the Orlando Magic (1999-2003), Boston Celtics (2004-13) and Los Angeles Clippers (2013-20) before his three-year stint with the Philadelphia 76ers (2020-23). The Sixers fired Rivers in May after the team lost to the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs and he is currently working as a TV game analyst for ESPN.
The Bucks fired head coach Mike Budenholzer in May, less than two years after he led the team to its first NBA championship in 50 years. Budenholzer left with a 271-120 regular season record across five seasons with the team and got to the playoffs each year, including a NBA Finals triumph in 2021 and a first-round exit as a No. 1 seed in 2023.
Griffin took Budenholzer's place a few weeks later. It was the first head coaching job for the former NBA player turned Toronto Raptors assistant coach.
NBA
At 30-13, the Bucks currently have the second-best record in the NBA and are the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, trailing only the Celtics. Milwaukee's next game is Wednesday night at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
