The Milwaukee Bucks have found their next head coach, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The franchise is currently in talks to sign long-time assistant coach Adrian Griffin to replace the recently-fired Mike Budenholzer. Griffin was announced as one of the finalists for the gig earlier this week alongside Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson and former Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.
Shortly before Wojnarowski shared the news, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Nurse pulled his name out of consideration.
Griffin, 48, started his NBA coaching career with Milwaukee as an assistant in 2008. He spent two seasons with the franchise before becoming a member of Tom Thibodeau’s staff in Chicago from 2010-2015. He made two more stops with Orlando and Oklahoma City before ending up in Toronto, where he coached from 2018 until this most recent season.
Before entering the world of coaching, Griffin also had a long-time professional career that mixed in both overseas and NBA play. His first real stint in the NBA was during the 1999-2000 season when he appeared in 72 games for the Boston Celtics. He went on to play until the 2007-08 campaign, spending one full season with the Chicago Bulls in 2006-07.
In the running for head coach jobs in the past, Griffin faced domestic violence allegations from his ex-wife during the 2020 season. He denied any wrongdoing and went on to face no legal action nor a formal investigation from the Raptors.