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Ex-Bulls' Adrian Griffin hired as head coach for Milwaukee Bucks

Ex-Bulls' Adrian Griffin hired as new Bucks head coach originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Adrian Griffin, the former Chicago Bulls player and coach, was hired by the Milwaukee Bucks to succeed Mike Budenholzer as the team's head coach, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Griffin, 48, played for the Bulls during two different stints from 2004-05 and 2006-08. He became an assistant coach for the Bulls after his playing career in 2010. He served in that role until 2015.

On Saturday, the two sides reached an agreement and are working on a multi-year contract, according to the report. The Bucks were sold on Griffin's "leadership presence, character and ability to oversee high-level defensive teams," sources told Wojnarowski.

In the past, he built defensive systems under Billy Donovan, the Bulls' current head coach, and Tom Thibodeau, former head coach of the Bulls.

Griffin and the other coaching finalists -- Nick Nurse and Kenny Atkinson -- met with Giannis Antetokounmpo as part of their final interview process. Antetokounmpo and the Bucks won the NBA Finals in 2020 with Budenholzer.

Budenholzer spent five years as the Bucks' head coach before the organization dismissed him this offseason after a first-round loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Bucks were the East's No. 1 seed, expected to make a deep playoff run following multiple successful playoff runs in the recent past.

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