Adrian Griffin’s tenure as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks is over after 43 games.
Griffin, 49, was fired Tuesday despite guiding Milwaukee to a 30-13 record, second-best in the Eastern Conference behind the Boston Celtics (34-10) entering the day.
Bucks assistant coach Joe Prunty will take over as interim head coach.
“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.”
Griffin was an assistant with the Bucks from 2008-10. Griffin also coached with the Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder and was on the Raptors’ staff when Toronto won the NBA title in 2019.
According to ESPN, Griffin’s tenure is tied for the third-shortest in NBA coaching history.
The Bucks have won two straight and five of their last six heading into Wednesday’s home game with Cleveland.
Multiple reports immediately linked former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers to the vacancy in Milwaukee.
Rivers, 62, has won 1,097 games with the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and Sixers. He guided the Celtics to the NBA title in 2008.
Griffin replaced Mike Budenholzer, who was 271-120 in five seasons with the Bucks and guided them to the NBA championship in 2020-21. He was fired in May after the top-seeded Bucks lost to the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs.