The Atlanta Hawks announced Wednesday that they and their head coach Mike Budenholzer have agreed to part ways after five years.

Mike Budenholzer out as hawks’ head coach

Budenholzer, a former San Antonio Spurs assistant who worked under Gregg Popovich, led the Hawks to become the top seed in the Eastern Conference in the 2014-2015 season after the team finished with a 60-22 record. Atlanta made it to the Eastern Conference Finals that year, and Budenholzer won the honor of NBA Coach of the Year.

Since then, the Hawks have struggled. They went 24-58 this season to finish last in their conference, and were tied for the third-weakest record in the NBA. Atlanta missed out on a playoff bid after 10 straight years of reaching the postseason.

SLIDESHOW: 30 Best Sports Instagrams!

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, several assistant coaches have already been named as potential replacements for Budenholzer. Among those on the Hawks’ short-list are Charlotte’s Stephen Silas and San Antonio’s Ime Udoka and James Borrego. 

In five seasons with the Hawks, Budenholzer compiled a 213-197 overall record. Per ESPN, he had two years remaining on his contract with the team, and was still owed more than $14 million. During the 17 years he worked with the Spurs as an assistant, he helped lead the team to four NBA championship wins.

SLIDESHOW: 10 Highest-Paid Athletes

According to ESPN, the Hawks have three first-round picks in the 2018 NBA draft in June, as well as a pick early in the second round.

 

Read more about:
Listen to the uInterview Podcast!
Get the most-revealing celebrity conversations with the uInterview podcast!
Listen now!