NBA
Three of the last four head coaches to win an NBA Championship are no longer with those teams
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated05 May 2023
Winning an NBA Championship is not an easy task and it takes a full team effort to get the job done. That includes the coaches, staff, and trainers who all make a difference. Just yesterday, the Milwaukee Bucks fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after five seasons. Now, three of the last four head coaches to win an NBA Championship are no longer with those teams.
Budenholzer joins Frank Vogel and Nick Nurse as the other two championship coaches, not with their team anymore. Both Nurse and Budenholzer have won Coach of the Year honors within the last five seasons as well. It just goes to show how expandable head coaches are in the NBA. Even championship-winning coaches are not safe.
The only coach to win a title in the last four seasons and is still the head coach is Golden State’s, Steve Kerr.
With Mike Budenholzer now out in Milwaukee, 3 of the last 4 head coaches to win an NBA Championship are no longer with those teams. pic.twitter.com/X4uCjzeRTK
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 4, 2023
Why are championship head coaches being fired so often in the NBA?
Back in 2019, Nick Nurse was in his first season as head coach of the Toronto Raptors. It was a special year for him as he helped lead them to the franchise’s first NBA title. He also won Coach of the Year honors in 2019-20. Fast-forward to the end of the 2022-23 season and Nurse is no longer with the team. He was fired by Toronto two weeks ago.
There’s also Frank Vogel. He was with the LA Lakers for three seasons and he to won an NBA championship in his first season as head coach. The Lakers had two disappointing seasons after that and Vogel was fired at the end of the 2021-22 season. LA failed to reach the postseason in Vogel’s final year as head coach.
The most recent head coach to win an NBA championship and get fired is Mike Budenholzer. He helped lead the Bucks to the franchise’s second title in nearly 50 years back in 2021. Milwaukee had an awful first round this postseason and that led to the firing of Budenholzer. The Bucks came into the playoffs as the #1 seed in the East and the best regular season record. Not enough to keep Budenholzer’s job safe.
