Mike Budenholzer was chosen the next head coach of the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns withheld the terms of the agreement, but The Athletic revealed that it was a five-year deal worth more than $50 million.
“We’re excited to name Mike as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns and bring him back to his home state of Arizona,” Mat Ishbia, the owner of the Suns, said. “Mike has demonstrated that he is one of the NBA’s most effective head coaches. He is the ideal team leader to advance us toward our championship objectives.”
Just two days after Frank Vogel was fired by Phoenix, Budenholzer was brought in for the position. The Suns had just finished a 49-33 season when they were humiliatingly swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
Arizona native Budenholzer, 54, is from Holbrook. In May 2023, he was let go by Milwaukee, barely two years after he had guided the Bucks to an NBA championship.
“I am honored to be named head coach of the Phoenix Suns, the team I grew up watching,” said Budenholzer. “I’d want to express my gratitude to Mat Ishbia, Josh Bartelstein, the CEO, and James Jones, the general manager, for giving me the chance to oversee this group. I’m appreciative that we have a strong group of players on our roster that are eager to compete, play a brand of basketball that will bring out the best in each of them, and bond as we go after titles.”
In his five seasons with the Bucks (2018–23), Budenholzer recorded a 271–120 record; in his five seasons with the Hawks (2013–18), he recorded a 213–197 record. Budenholzer was named NBA Coach of the Year twice.
“Mike’s exceptional basketball acumen, championship pedigree and his standing as one of the NBA’s premier coaches will be invaluable as we compete for a championship,” Jones stated. “We’re confident that under his leadership our team will reach new levels of success.”
Despite injuries that frequently disrupted the lineup, Vogel, in his first season of his most recent term as head coach, enabled Phoenix and a trio of All-Stars, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and newcomer Bradley Beal, push the 50-win mark.
After losing in the conference semifinals, Monty Williams was fired at the end of the 2022–2023 season and appointed as head coach of the Detroit Pistons. Vogel took his position.
As the head coach of the Indiana Pacers (2010–2016), Orlando Magic (2016–2018), Los Angeles Lakers (2019–2022), and Suns, Vogel, 50, has amassed 480 career regular-season victories. At the conclusion of the pandemic-shortened 2019–20 season, he guided the Lakers to the NBA championship.
