Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer has been named a co-recipient of the 2020 Michael H. Goldberg National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA) Coach of the Year award, the NBCA announced today. Oklahoma City Thunder Head Coach Billy Donovan is the other recipient of this year’s award. Budenholzer, who also earned Coach of the Year honors from the NBCA last season, is the first two-time recipient of the award.
“First, congrats to Billy Donovan for the outstanding job he and his staff have done with the Oklahoma City Thunder,” said Budenholzer. “Another great year of coaching by Billy and, again, another great year of work by all the head coaches in the NBA. Thank you all for your vote and support. Thank you to our dedicated players and staff in Milwaukee. The players are special, the staff is special and I’m beyond fortunate to coach this great team and for this great organization.
“Celebrating the memory of Michael H. Goldberg and continuing to bring honor to his great legacy of work on behalf of all NBA Coaches gives the Award additional significant meaning. Those of us lucky enough to know and work with Michael know how much he did for the sport and for coaches. As Michael was a terrific advocate for all of us, may we use our platform to raise awareness and speak out on the need for social justice, equality and inclusiveness in our society.”
In his second season in Milwaukee, Budenholzer once again has the Bucks at the top of the NBA standings with a 54-13 (.806) record. Under Budenholzer this season, the Bucks own the top net rating and defensive rating in the league for the second consecutive season. Averaging 118.6 points per game in 2019-20, Milwaukee is also the second-highest scoring team in the NBA, after leading the league in that same category last season and is outscoring its opponents by an NBA-best 11.0 points per game.
“Congratulations Bud for again being honored by your peers as the best in the business,” said Milwaukee Bucks General Manager Jon Horst. “Thank you for being a great partner and for all you do for our team.
“Our coaching staff continues to be instrumental in guiding our team to constant improvement and it is truly special to see them recognized as such. The entire Bucks organization salutes Bud and his staff, our players and the Performance Team for our success thus far and the sustained success we continue to work toward.”
Budenholzer currently owns a 114-35 (.765) record in his two seasons with Milwaukee. In seven seasons as a head coach with the Atlanta Hawks and Bucks, Budenholzer has a 327-232 (.585) career record and is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year (2014-15, 2018-19).
“I was fortunate to work alongside Michael H. Goldberg during the formative years of my career,” said David Fogel, NBCA Executive Director. “This year’s winners embody the same high levels of integrity and excellence that Michael displayed every day of his life. Both Coach Budenholzer and Coach Donovan exemplify these values on and off the court, and their tireless work ethic led to accomplished seasons for both the Bucks and Thunder. Congratulations to both Coaches and their staffs. This honor is most deserved.”
The Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award recognizes the dedication, commitment and hard work of NBA head coaches and is presented annually to a head coach who helps guide his players to a higher level of performance on the court and shows outstanding service and dedication to the community off the court. It honors the spirit of Michael H. Goldberg who set the standard for loyalty, integrity, love of the game, passionate representation and tireless promotion of NBA coaching. It is unique in that it is the only award voted upon by the winners’ peers, the head coaches of all 30 NBA teams.
Previous recipients of the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award are Budenholzer (2018-19), Dwane Casey (2017-18), Mike D’Antoni (2016-17) and Erik Spoelstra (2016-17).
