Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer lost brother during losing streak to Miami Heat

Criticized for his coaching during the series of the first round of the NBA play-offs lost 4-1 by Milwaukee against Miami, Mike Budenholzer could not have had his head only in sport in recent days. The Athletic revealed on Friday that the Bucks coach had lost one of his three brothers in a road accident shortly before Game 4, lost by his team on the Heat floor last Monday (119-114).

Darvin Ham, former assistant to Budenholzer in Wisconsin and now head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, confirmed the information before his team’s big victory against Memphis on Friday (125-85): “Coach Bud is going through a very difficult time on a personal level. He just lost his brother, I apologize to him if I shouldn’t talk about it. We communicated by text. I love these guys. » A spokesperson assured The Athletic that Budenholzer had no problem with Ham, who he “adore and respect”raises the subject in front of the journalists.

The elimination of Milwaukee, the fifth in NBA history for a No. 1 seed team against an eighth in the conference, had cast doubt on the future of the former Atlanta coach with the Bucks, where he has officiated since 2018. The title won in 2021 by the franchise, the first in fifty years, was won in the midst of more or less resounding failures in the play-offs. Extended in the wake of the coronation of Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates, Budenholzer is under contract until 2025.