Mike Budenholzer Fired as Bucks Head Coach After 5 Seasons; Won 2021 NBA Title

After the Milwaukee Bucks' stunning first-round playoff loss, Mike Budenholzer's tenure as head coach has ended.

The Bucks parted ways with the 53-year-old Thursday after five seasons.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news.

Budenholzer's status immediately became a question mark after the Bucks' season-ending 128-126 overtime loss to the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Milwaukee got outscored 32-16 in the fourth quarter after entering the period with a 16-point lead. The defense allowed a game-tying bucket to Jimmy Butler when he caught an inbounds pass in the air at the rim and laid it up with less than one second remaining.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Budenholzer didn't have a good explanation for why the Bucks didn't use their final timeout after Butler's layup to try to draw up a play to potentially win in regulation.

"Yeah we need to call a timeout," he said when asked about the end of regulation.

It didn't help Budenholzer's cause that Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke about the lack of adjustments they made defensively against Butler throughout the series.

The Bucks, who had the best record in the NBA during the regular season, became the first No. 1 seed to lose in the first round of the playoffs since the 2012 Chicago Bulls. They lost in the first two rounds of the postseason three times in the past four years.

Milwaukee is still in a good spot to remain a top-tier team in the Eastern Conference with a new head coach, but the front office has work to do with the roster this offseason.

Khris Middleton can become a free agent if he doesn't opt in to the final year of his contract. Jrue Holiday is entering the final guaranteed year of his deal, though he has a $39.4 million player option for 2024-25.

Brook Lopez, Jae Crowder and Joe Ingles will be among the notable free agents this summer.

Antetokounmpo will be eligible to sign an extension of up to three years and $173 million starting during the offseason, though ESPN's Brian Windhorst has said he thinks it's "unlikely" that will happen.

The two-time MVP has two guaranteed years remaining on his deal with a $51.9 million player option for 2025-26.

Budenholzer did lead the Bucks to the NBA championship during the 2020-21 season. It was the franchise's first title since the 1970-71 campaign. He went 271-120 with the team and won at least 51 games in four of his five years.