Wichita native Adrian Griffin fired by Milwaukee Bucks

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Just 43 games into his tenure as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, Adrian Griffin has been relieved of his duties.

Griffin’s dismissal comes despite the team sitting at 30-13 and second in the Eastern Conference standings. Prior to Milwaukee, Griffin served as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors, coaching former Wichita State standout Fred VanVleet.

“This was a difficult decision to make during the season,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a statement. “We are working immediately toward hiring our next head coach. We thank Coach Griffin for his hard work and contributions to the team.”

There was a dip in Milwaukee’s defensive performance had raised concerns about the Bucks’ viability as a championship contender even after they had acquired seven-time all-NBA guard Damian Lillard before the season to team up with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks rank 22nd in the NBA in defensive rating — down from fourth a year earlier — despite having two of the NBA’s top defenders in Antetokounmpo and 7-footer Brook Lopez.

Antetokounmpo was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, while Lopez finished second in last season’s balloting.

Griffin is a Wichita native and played for Wichita East High School before going to college at Seton Hall. He spent nine seasons in the NBA after going undrafted in 1996, making stops with the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder).

The Associated Press contributed in part to this report.