Milwaukee Bucks Fire Jason Kidd
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd was fired on Monday. The surprise announcement was made before Milwaukee’s 109 – 105 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Assistant Joe Prunty coached the team for that game, and will serve as the Bucks’ interim coach for the remainder of the season.
Jason Kidd was appointed Milwaukee coach in 2014. He led a mini-recovery for the team, who had been stagnating. Under Kidd, the Bucks made playoff appearances in 2014 – 2015 and 2016 – 2017. His record as Milwaukee Coach is 139 – 152.
Despite the early promise, this season has been a disappointing one for Kidd and the Bucks. Milwaukee is 23 – 22 for the season and are the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. The team had lost 4 out of 5 games entering Monday’s match against the Phoenix Suns.
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It appears the decision to fire Jason Kidd was taken despite MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo’s support. According to ESPN, the pair had a phone conversation shortly before Kidd was officially let go.
“He called me and said, ‘Coach, this isn’t right what they’re about to do, but (they) are gonna let you go,’ “
Although Antetokounmpo apparently offered to call the owners and his agent, Kidd told him that there was no point.
He told Antetokounmpo that he was “Thankful to be able to coach him and help him become the player he is today. And I know when our paths cross again, he’ll be much better.” It was 15 minutes after this conversation that Kidd was fired by general manager Jon Horst and president Peter Feigin.
In a statement, Horst said:
“We appreciate everything that Jason has done for the Bucks organization, but we have decided to make a coaching change. We believe that a fresh approach and a change in leadership are needed to continue elevating our talented team towards the next level, bringing us closer to our goal of competing for championships.
“Jason led a historic turnaround during his first season and would guide our team to two playoff appearances. He also played a meaningful role in helping to keep the Bucks in Milwaukee. We thank him for all of his contributions and wish him the best.”
