Joe Prunty is once again interim coach of the Bucks. Here's what to know about him

Joe Prunty is the interim coach of the Milwaukee Bucks after Adrian Griffin was fired on Tuesday.

Yes, you probably remember Prunty being the team's interim coach. A couple times, actually.

Here is what to know about Prunty:

Prunty first came to the Milwaukee Bucks with Jason Kidd

Prunty has been a longtime NBA assistant, and he came to Milwaukee with Jason Kidd when Kidd became head coach in 2014.

Prunty took the reins as interim coach of the Bucks for the first time when Jason Kidd had hip surgery in December 2015. Prunty was coach for 17 games, going 8-9.

Prunty also coached a game in November 2017 when Kidd was away for the birth of his daughter.

After the Bucks started the 2017-18 season 23-22, Kidd was fired and Prunty was named interim coach on Jan. 22, 2018. Milwaukee finished 21-16 under Prunty and lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs to the Boston Celtics.

A short stay with the Suns

Prunty interviewed for the permanent Bucks head coaching job in 2018, but Mike Budenholzer was hired.

Prunty then landed on the staff of the Phoenix Suns in the 2018-19 season. When the Bucks played the Suns at Fiserv Forum, TV cameras caught Giannis Antetokounmpo sprinting across the court to greet Prunty with a huge hug.

Suns head coach Igor Kokoskov was fired in 2019, and Prunty was out of the NBA for two seasons. He helped USA Basketball during its qualification process for the FIBA World Cup.

Prunty was also interim coach for the Hawks last season

Prunty was back in the NBA for the 2022-23 season as an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks under Nate McMillian. Prunty was the head coach for a three-game road trip when McMillian was in the COVID health and safety protocols, and then he served as interim coach when McMillian was fired in February.

Prunty was 2-0 before Quin Snyder was hired as the Hawks' head coach. Prunty stayed on the staff until he was hired last summer to join Griffin in Milwaukee.

Prunty was also head coach of the Great Britain national team

In addition to his international experience with USA Basketball, Prunty was head coach of the Great Britain national team from 2013-2017.

Prunty came up with Spurs under Gregg Popovich

Prunty was a high school coach in San Diego when he landed a gig in the video room with the San Antonio Spurs, his first gig in the NBA in 1996.

Prunty briefly left San Antonio to coach at University of San Diego, but he was back with the Spurs for the 1997-98 season.

Prunty worked his way to being an assistant coach with the Spurs, and was part of three NBA championship winners. He stayed with the Spurs until 2005.

Prunty has also worked as an assistant for the Dallas Mavericks, the Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Brooklyn Nets, and served as interim coach for two games with the Nets in 2013 when Kidd was suspended for a DWI arrest.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Joe Prunty is named interim coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, again