PHOENIX – Mike Budenholzer got teary-eyed as he talked about his past in Arizona, describing an idyllic childhood in the small town of Holbrook, about three hours northeast of Phoenix.
Those tears dried quickly as he talked about his future.
“For me it's mind-blowing, mind-blowing, to think that I'm going to be the head coach of the Phoenix Suns,” Budenholzer said Friday during an introductory news conference in downtown Phoenix.
Budenholzer, 54, replaces Frank Vogel, who was fired May 9 after a disappointing season. The two-time NBA Coach of the Year will be tasked with getting more out of the team's All-Star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal as the franchise continues to chase a championship.
The group never quite clicked last season under Vogel, finishing with a 49-33 record before being swept by Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs.
“I'm excited to work with this squad and these players,” Budenholzer said. “We have great players. And with great players come great expectations. I think we accept that.”
Budenholzer spoke Friday in front of a few dozen family and friends, including his 94-year-old father, Vince, whom Budenholzer called “the original Coach Bud.” Mike Budenholzer won the 2021 NBA title while leading the Milwaukee Bucks, a championship that came at the expense of the Suns.
Phoenix has never won a title and advanced to the Finals three times in 56 seasons.
Budenholzer was fired by the Bucks in 2023 after five seasons and did not coach in the NBA last season. He also coached the Atlanta Hawks from 2013 to 2018 and has a record of 484-317 in 10 seasons.
Before going to Atlanta, Budenholzer spent 17 years as an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs and coach Gregg Popovich.
“This year, for me, was really healthy,” Budenholzer said. “I had kind of a priority list, to immerse myself in my kids and my family, which is very important. We've been through a lot. So really, the time with my kids was just incredible. My son is a senior in school high school, going to each of their games, driving home you think, 'Wow, I have a gift.'
As much as he loved the opportunity to recharge, he's ready to get back on the court.
“I would like to continue training as long as I can,” he added.
In addition to bringing in Budenholzer, the Suns are moving closer to hiring Brooklyn Nets executive Matt Tellem for the franchise's front office, sources told ESPN's Tim MacMahon on Friday.
The organization faces a difficult task in reshaping the Suns' roster. Phoenix doesn't have much room to maneuver under the league's salary cap due to the big contracts of Booker, Durant and Beal. The team's two other projected starters, Grayson Allen and Jusuf Nurkic, are also under contract for next season.
The Suns didn't have a true point guard last season and struggled with turnovers, particularly in the fourth quarter. Budenholzer made it sound like he would like to add at least one point guard during the offseason.
“The conversations have been great and there's no question that we need to look at the entire roster and talk about point guard,” Budenholzer said. “I'm sure it's a hot topic here, whether it's with the media, the players or the board. We need to think about it.
“We need to be able to play without one. We probably need to be able to have one. We need to be versatile, play in different ways.”
But before he started thinking about point guards or turnovers, the coach spent much of Friday savoring the opportunity to land his dream job.
“The most important message I want you to hear is that I would coach this team if I were on the moon,” Budenholzer said, smiling. “I would coach this team if I were in Alaska. If these players were in Denmark… I would go anywhere to coach this team.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
