Sunday night was a very special occasion for Milwaukee Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin. Not only was it his second game as Milwaukee’s new head coach, but it was the first time he faced off against his son, Adrian Griffin, on an NBA court.
Technically, these two have crossed paths in the NBA last season. AJ’s Atlanta Hawks went 2-1 against the Toronto Raptors last season, where his dad served as the assistant coach under Nick Nurse. Sunday night was totally different, though, with Adrian Griffin now a head coach in the league.
Milwaukee Bucks HC Adrian Griffin Speaks Out on Facing Son
Ahead of Sunday’s matchup, the older Griffin revealed that his son loves talking smack about their head-to-head record in the NBA:
“He talks a lot of trash,” Adrian said, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “They beat us (in Toronto) 2-1 so he has the upper hand and he reminds me every day almost. I told him I have some help, a little bit more help this year, so we’ll see.”
The father-and-son duo exchanged pleasantries before the game. AJ spilled the beans on their brief discussion prior to tipoff:
“He just said good luck today,” A.J. said. “(Saturday) we met up, we were talking, got dinner. It feels a little different this time because he’s actually coaching. I feel like it makes the moment even more special.”
Coach Griffin could not agree more. The Bucks shot-caller could not help but share how emotional he is about their on-court encounter:
“It’s special,” he said. “I’m just like any other parent, just proud of their kids and especially reaching this milestone is very hard. I know that from personal experience. But at the same time we have a job to do, we want to win the game. But it is special to see him in an NBA jersey. I’m still in awe. It’s still kind of new and fresh. But these are special moments that will last for a lifetime. Extremely grateful and just proud, just like every parent, just proud of your kids.”
You love to hear it.
Unfortunately for Adrian, he’s now down 1-3 against his son, and 0-1 now that he’s a head coach. He will want to correct this record when the Bucks face off against the Hawks later this season.
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