Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer didn’t quite seem his usual self during the first round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat as his team bowed out in five games.
It now appears that a family tragedy might have been the reason for that, as one of his three brothers died in a car accident before Game 4, with the news being relayed by The Athletic’s Joe Vardon.
“One of Budenholzer’s three brothers died just prior to Game 4 of the series, Budenholzer confirmed to The Athletic on Friday through a Bucks spokesman. Two team sources said the brother died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident.”
The news of Budenholzer’s brother’s passing was revealed by his former assistant Darvin Ham before Game 6 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies.
“Coach Bud is going through a lot on a personal level,” Ham said, when asked about Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo’s reaction to losing the series. “He just lost his brother, so, my apologies Bud if I wasn’t supposed to let anybody know. He and I’ve been texting. I love those guys.”
Budenholzer confirmed that he was fine with Ham speaking about it to reporters. It is admirable that Budenholzer still wanted to coach after such a tragedy. One can’t even imagine how difficult it would have been for him to work in such a high-pressure situation after going through something like that and it might explain some of the puzzling decisions he made. He now gets to spend some time with his family and they would definitely need him around at such a tough time.
Mike Budenholzer Spoke About The Bucks’ Season
Following their exit, a lot of attention went to the comments made by Giannis Antetokounmpo in his press confidence. Giannis went off after a reporter asked him if the season was a failure and he used Michael Jordan as an example, as Jordan didn’t win a title in 9 of his 15 seasons in the league.
Budenholzer was asked the same question and he stated he was disappointed, hurt, and frustrated by how things transpired. This was Budenholzer’s fifth season as the Bucks head coach and he has compiled a 263-119 record in that time. He led the team to the championship in 2021 and led them to the best record in the NBA this season. While his future was in question following this early exit, the circumstances surrounding it might mean he will still have the job next season.
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