Report: Phoenix Suns to hire Vince Legarza as assistant coach

The Phoenix Suns have reportedly hired assistant coach Vince Legarza to work under head coach Mike Budenholzer, according to AZ Central’s Duane Rankin.

Legarza was an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks under Budenholzer in his final season there in 2022-23, which saw the Bucks finish with a 58-24 record that earned them the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. The team was eliminated by the eight seeded Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs.

Budenholzer was fired following the loss and Legarza wasn’t retained for then-head coach Adrian Griffin’s staff.

Legarza previously was an assistant for the Utah Jazz from 2018-22 and a player development assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2015-18. He started his NBA coaching career in player development under Budenholzer from 2013-15 when Budenholzer was the head coach of the the Atlanta Hawks.

This news comes after the Suns didn’t retain any of previous head coach Frank Vogel’s staff, which included Kevin Young who was hired to be the head coach of the BYU Cougars men’s basketball team prior to the start of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

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