Watch, listen: Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer’s introductory press conference
May 17, 2024, 11:30 AM | Updated: 11:55 am
The Phoenix Suns will introduce head coach Mike Budenholzer with a 12 p.m. MST press conference on Friday.
Joined by president of basketball operations and general manager James Jones, Budenholzer’s introduction at Footprint Center will stream live on Arizona Sports as well as on the Suns’ YouTube channel (see above).
Budenholzer, who led Milwaukee to a 2021 NBA Finals win over the Suns, has earned two NBA Coach of the Year honors with the Atlanta Hawks (2014-15) and Bucks (2018-19).
He went 410-213 (.520) with the Hawks from 2013-18 before a 391-271 (.693) run with the Bucks from 2018-23.
Budenholzer, 54, took his first break from being an NBA coach last season since 1996.
After two seasons as a video coordinator, he first joined the San Antonio Spurs’ coaching staff under Gregg Popovich in 1996. He would go on to hold that assistant position for 17 years before getting hired as the head coach of the Hawks.
Why Mike Budenholzer was hired by Suns to replace Frank Vogel
A first-round sweep by the Minnesota Timberwolves ended a massively disappointing finish and was a far cry from the championship expectations set upon Frank Vogel’s arrival before the 2023-24 season.
Phoenix finished with a 49-33 record but struggled to find consistency all season.
Vogel was hired by Phoenix after it let go of head coach Monty Williams last offseason, making Budenholzer the third Suns coach in three years and the second hired by owner Mat Ishbia.