The Milwaukee Bucks are taking their time in finding the franchise’s next head coach. Mike Budenholzer, of course, was fired after winning just one NBA Championship despite having championship-caliber teams in each of his five seasons with the Bucks. There have already been numerous coaches tied to the Bucks, including former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, and current Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue. Scott Brooks and Monty Williams have also been named as candidates.
In the course of doing their due diligence, the Bucks have just interviewed Mark Jackson, who has been a top coaching candidate for years, but has not gotten any jobs.
The Milwaukee Bucks are interviewing former Golden State coach Mark Jackson for their open head coaching job, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Jackson, who had a .526 winning percentage in three seasons as Warriors coach, was a finalist for the Kings job last year.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 14, 2023
Is Mark Jackson a Good Fit for the Milwaukee Bucks?
Mark Jackson is best known for his three-year stint as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors. After taking over, the Warriors went 23-43 in his first season, but improved to 47-35 in his second season. In 2013-2014, Jackson led Golden State to a 51-31 record, but lost in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. He was then fired and replaced by Steve Kerr, who has since led the Warriors to four NBA Championships.
The question, then, is why hasn’t Jackson received any other NBA head coaching jobs since his firing? Andre Iguodala believes that Jackson has been blackballed by the league, but Ryen Russillo of The Ringer had this to say about Jackson back in 2020:
“When it comes down to Mark Jackson, there a lot of things that are brought up. Really, I think it comes down to this — you are either informed or uninformed. If you are informed, you understand why Mark Jackson doesn’t have a job. If you are uninformed, you are screaming all sorts of accusations for why Mark doesn’t have a job.
“Part of it was that he couldn’t get along with anybody else in the organization. And look, he did a great job, and I’ll always compliment him in many respects, but you can’t have 200 people in the organization not like you.
“Let’s also talk about some of the other stuff that’s just — let’s face it — weird,” he began. “Jackson is a man of faith. I don’t question anyone’s faith. But I know it rubbed some people the wrong way when he was a head coach, but also would find time to get to LA whenever he had a convenient off day (to preach).
“It’s tough to tell a man of faith, ‘Hey you know what — don’t be that interested in God.’ That’s almost an impossible conversation. But if I (said to my boss), ‘Hey, I can’t watch football this weekend because I have this higher calling …’ eventually at work they would be like, ‘Hey, you know what man — this is all part of the job, being able to be around.’ His employer at the time being frustrated by it actually makes a little bit of sense.
“Jackson also had some issues off the court where he was caught up in an extortion deal … when asked about Jason Collins (coming out as gay), he said, ‘Not in my locker room.’ So it came off as if he was a homophobe because there’s kind of evidence that he is. And then when he was asked to clear that up, he said, ‘I know his family and I’m praying for them right now.’ Hey man, save your f–ing prayers. That’s the kind of stuff that just doesn’t play no matter who you are.”
The Milwaukee Bucks are all about inclusivity, and they do not mind their coaches guest preaching at churches. Vin Baker, for example, has preached at various churches around the Milwaukee area since returning to Milwaukee on Coach Budenholzer’s staff. At the same time, Baker and all the Bucks players have participated in equality marches and have celebrated marginalized communities in Milwaukee and around the country.
Unless Jackson has had a change of heart in terms of how he views those communities, and unless he has learned how to work better with others, he may not be the man for the job.
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