MILWAUKEE — Former Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer shared his gratitude towards Milwaukee onlineMonday as he parts ways with the team.
Last week, news broke that the Milwaukee Bucks dismissed the coach. It came shortly after the Bucks, the East's top-seed, suffered a first-round playoff loss to the Miami Heat. The Bucks were the sixth 1-seed in NBA history to lose to an 8-seed.
In an Instagram post, Budenholzer thanked the city and fans for his five years with the team.
"It has been an honor to do this job," Budenholzer said in part. "To have a place in the history of the city, the history of the Bucks organization, for that, I will forever be grateful. In my mind, there was no better place to work than for The Bucks, and for Milwaukee."
Budenholzer spent five seasons as Milwaukee's coach and helped the team win a championship in the 2021 NBA Finals. It was the Bucks' first championship in 50 years.
In his goodbye post, he gave several shout-outs to not just the city and fans, but "the core 4" (Giannis, Khris, Jrue, and Brook), the coaching staff, and many others.
"Together we won a lot. Together we won an NBA Championship. The first Championship in 50 years," he wrote. "The memories of the parade, watching the entire city celebrating with the players and staff as the buses made their way through the streets of Milwaukee, that is something we will all cherish forever."
Under Budenholzer, the team won 58 games during the 2022-23 season before losing to the Heat in the first round of the playoffs. ESPN reports that in Game 5, Budenholzer decided not to use his final timeouts during game-winning scenarios.
So what's next for Bud? Well, he ended his goodbye with, "It's time for a beer... and some sun on one of the lakes."
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