Michael Vincent Budenholzer was born on August 6, 1969, in Arizona. He played for Pomona College, where he was one of the best players on the team in four years. After College, Bud decided to accept a new challenge and play overseas.
His first contract was in Scotland, where he didn’t stay long. After that, e agreed to play for Vejle BK in Denmark, where is the same time, he served as a head basketball coach for the youth teams. In Denmark, he fell in love with coaching and decided that it’s is going to be his future calling.
Mike Budenholzer – San Antonio Spurs
When the season in Europe finished, Budenholzer was determined to start his coaching journey. San Antonio Spurs were looking for a video coordinator, and he was the perfect candidate for the job because of his different experiences in the past.
Coach Popovich always loved to hire guys with diverse backgrounds. Spurs’ results were getting better and better. An essential part of the success was the video room where Budenholzer had a chance to learn the NBA game fast.
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After two seasons as video coordinator, the San Antonio front office offered him the position of full-time assistant coach at the beginning of the 1996-1997 season. Gregg Popovich has often praised Coach Bud and his work with the team. During that period, San Antonio has won four championships, and Budenholzer established himself as one of the top assistants in the league.
He was in charge of the development of young Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. At the same time, his ideas about team offense were very innovative, and till this day, it is considered that Spurs teams from the late nineties were playing beautiful basketball.
Mike Budenholzer – Atlanta Hawks
After the 2012-2013 season, many NBA teams were interested in hiring Coach Bud, but Atlanta Hawks were the most persistent, and he liked their project. That was his first head coaching job in National Basketball Association.
The team’s improvement was noticeable in the first season, and the Hawks have reached the Playoffs. But, the best team of Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers, were too much for them.
Over the summer of 2014, Coach Bud has analyzed every team his team played, and he was clear about the things they needed to improve. When the season started, the Hawks were unstoppable. Their offense was the best in the league, and their fast-paced style of play was a nightmare for every NBA defense.
Atlanta has finished the regular season with 60 wins, which is a franchise record to this day. Coach Bud was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for two consecutive months (December and January). In January, the franchise won all of their 17 games, one new record for the team from Georgia.
Although they couldn’t go all the way, that Playoff run was the deepest in the last 50 years. Mike Budenholzer was named NBA Coach of the year, and he received the Red Auerbach trophy.
After the historic season, Bud was promoted to President of basketball operations.
When everyone expected the Hawks to make their next step, problems started, and in the following seasons, they never managed to repeat the 2014-2015 season results.
There were many issues in the locker room, and the media reported that some players didn’t like how their head coach handled the situation.
The clearest case happened during one timeout when Coach Bud was drawing a play, and nobody from the players was looking at his board.
After the disappointing 2017-2018 season(only 24 wins), Coach Bud and Atlanta Hawks terminated their cooperation.
Mike Budenholzer – Milwaukee Bucks
One month after separating with the Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks announced Mike Budenholzer as their new head coach. Toronto Raptors were heavily recruiting Coach Bud that summer, but he decided to sign a contract with the Bucks because of a chance to work with their young star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In the season 2018-2019, Milwaukee Bucks looked great. They finished the season with a 60-22 record. That was his second season with 60 wins, and for the second time, he was named NBA Coach of the Year. Budenholzer also coached in the 2019 NBA All-star game.
In his second year team reached the playoffs without a problem, but for the second time in a row, they couldn’t make a good result when it mattered the most. Speculations started about Bud’s ability to coach in the playoffs. Critics said that his game plan is not adaptable, and he will never win the championship in his coaching career.
Many were expecting that his Hawks days would repeat and that he would not last long in Milwaukee. Bucks management publicly supported their coach, announcing that they want him to coach the team as long as possible. That was the message that Coach Bud was expecting, which changed everything.
When the season 2020-2021 started, all eyes were on LeBron Lakers and Brooklyn Nets led by Kevin Durant. The bucks were destined to reach the playoffs, but no one thought they could win it, especially after their slow beginning. But, when the playoffs started, Milwaukee showed team spirit and managed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals.
They overcame many problems (Antenokounmpo injury) and reached the NBA Finals, where surprisingly, their opponent was Phoenix Suns with legendary Chris Paul and rising star Devin Booker.
Milwaukee Bucks have won their first NBA championship in the last 50 years, and huge credits go to Budenholzer, who overcame his past and kept the team together even when they were losing 2-0 in a series that happened two times during the playoffs.
Phoenix has won the first two games, and when it seemed that Bucks didn’t have a chance, everything changed. Budenholzer adjusted his offense, Giannis recovered from the injury, and Milwaukee was unstoppable after winning the game 3. Their self-confidence was rising in every subsequent game, and Suns didn’t have a chance.
What team did Budenholzer play for?
Bud played professionally only in Europe. His first team after Pomona college was Pentland in Scotland. After a very short stint in Scotland, he moved to Denmark, where he played for Vejle BK during the season 1993-1994.
Budenholzer was the team’s best player, averaging more than 27 points and 5 rebounds per game.
Who owns Milwaukee?
Milwaukee Bucks are owned by a group of individuals. The President of the team is Peter Feigin from 2014. He is one of Coach Bud’s biggest fans and a guy who gave him a vote of confidence after the 2019-2020 playoffs.
How much does the Bucks head coach make?
Making around $2 million per year doesn’t make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA.
Contract with the Bucks is expiring in the summer of 2022, and it is expected the franchise will offer him a new long-term contract with a much higher salary than the current one. They will have to motivate Bud to win them one more NBA championship.
Is Mike Budenholzer married?
Coach Mike Budenholzer is married to Marry Beth Budenholzer. They have a long and happy marriage. The couple is proud of their four kids: William, Savoia, Elizabeth, and John.
