Did Giannis Antetokounmpo Lash Out on The Athletic Reporter Because of Mike Budenholzer’s Brother’s Tragic Death?

The Miami Heat eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks from the first round of the 2023 Playoffs after finishing the regular season as the best team in the NBA. Giannis Antetokounmpo got a lot of heat for missing 13 free throws in the elimination game, but it was Head Coach Mike Budenholzer who was under the most criticism.

However, according to a recent update, Mike’s brother passed away in a car accident after Game 4 which might be the reason for his complacency. And also for Giannis’ overwhelming reaction after the game.

Did Giannis Antetokounmpo lash out at The Athletic reporter because of Mike Budenholzer’s brother’s tragic death?

Giannis did say he did not switch on Butler on his own by taking matters into his own hands because he respects the coaching decisions in the post-game presser. He did not exactly throw Mike under the bus there but also didn’t say anything to save him.

However, it is pretty unclear that even the Bucks’ main man knew what his coach was going through. According to The Athletic, Budenholzer just told his team’s spokesperson about the accident.

It came out officially when the Lakers Head Coach Darvin Ham who was in Mike’s staff and has a great relationship with him revealed it before the Lakers-Grizzlies game on Friday.

“Coach Bud is going through a lot on a personal level. He just lost his brother,” Ham said according to The Athletic. “So, my apologies Bud if I wasn’t supposed to let anybody know. He and I’ve been texting. I love those guys.”

Why was Budenholzer under so much criticism?

Experts blamed him for not putting Giannis more on Jimmy Butler instead of Jrue Holiday who was not able to stop the Heat star throughout the series.

The NBA community complained about the last possession of the Bucks in which Mike could have called a timeout when he was down 2 and could have drawn for another overtime, but did not.

All in all, nobody was impressed by the NBA champion coach’s performance in the last two games where one man outplayed his entire team. His criticism was critical so much so, that there were speculations about his firing and Giannis wanting out.

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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