Milwaukee Bucks Enter 2024-25 NBA Season With Revamped Coaching Staff
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers added Darvin Ham and Greg Buckner to join Dave Joerger, Rex Kalamian, Joe Prunty, Vin Baker and Pete Dominguez as assistant coaches for the 2024-25 NBA season.
Cody Smith | 9 Hours Ago
Apr 30, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers during game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
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MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Last year was so frustrating for the Milwaukee Bucks that they went through three different coaches. For part of the season, Adrian Griffin (30-13), Joe Prunty (2-1), and Doc Rivers (17-19) — all called the shots.
Rivers is the man in charge heading into the 2024-25 season, and earlier this month he filled out his coaching staff. He's hired Darvin Ham and Greg Buckner while also bringing back familiar faces in Dave Joerger, Rex Kalamian, Prunty, Vin Baker and Pete Dominguez as assistant coaches.
Rivers took over head coaching duties in late January of last season. He signed a four-year contract worth around $40 million, which will keep him under contract through the 2026-27 season.
With the coaching staff now solidified, let's take a look at what each assistant brings to the table for a Milwaukee sqaud that plans to compete for the NBA title this season.
1. Darvin Ham
Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham watches game action against the Denver Nuggets during the first half in game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs. / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
After spending the past two seasons under the microscope as the Los Angeles Lakers' head coach, Darvin Ham opted to rejoin the Bucks staff under Rivers after getting fired.Ham is set to return to Milwaukee after serving as an assistant coach with the organization from 2018-22, where he wound up helping lead the Bucks to the 2021 NBA Championship.
Over the last two seasons with the Lakers, Ham culminated a 90-74 (.549) regular season record that each ended in playoff berths, including a trip to the Western Conference finals in 2023.
Prior to his first stint with the Bucks, Ham also had coaching stops as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks (2013-18) and Lakers (2011-13). Between his 13 seasons as an assistant and head coach in the NBA, he managed to help earn his respective team's 12 playoff berths, four of which included trips to the Conference Finals.
As a player in the NBA, Ham played eight seasons. He appeared in 417 games with Denver, Indiana, Washington, Atlanta, Milwaukee and Detroit, helping the Pistons win the 2004 NBA Championship.
2. Greg Buckner
Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Greg Buckner reacts in the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Buckner is Milwaukee's other new coaching addition. He joins the Bucks after spending the last four seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. During his tenure with Cleveland, Buckner served as an assistant coach from 2020-22 before being promoted to associate head coach ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Before his time with the Cavaliers, the 47-year-old Kentucky native held roles as an assistant coach with Memphis for the 2018-19 season and spent five seasons with Houston as a player development coach (2011-16) and assistant coach (2014-16).
Much like Ham, Buckner also brings an extra layer of experience as an NBA player. He appeared in 570 career games throughout 10 seasons. Over his decade-long career, he played in Dallas, Philadelphia, Denver, Minnesota and Memphis between 1999 and 2009.
3. Dave Joerger
Sacramento Kings head coach Dave Joerger looks on from the sideline during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Golden 1 Center. / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Hired by the Bucks last January, Joerger is set to begin his first full season in Milwaukee.
Joerger is one of the assistant coaches Rivers brought along with him from Philadelphia, where he spent three seasons as an assistant coach on Rivers' staff from 2020-23. Before his time with Rivers, Joerger held head coaching positions with the Sacramento Kings from 2016-19 and the Grizzlies from 2013-16, where he reached the postseason all three times in Memphis.
His NBA coaching career began as an assistant with the Grizzlies back from 2007-13 after a successful minor-league coaching career that produced five championships, two Coach of the Year awards and a 232-117 (.665) record while serving as a head coach in the International Basketball Association, Continental Basketball Association and the NBA Development League.
4. Rex Kalamian
Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach Rex Kalamian reacts against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Much like Joerger, Kalamian will also be making his first full season coaching debut with the Bucks after joining the team as an assistant in January of last season. He began the year as a personnel scout with Brooklyn.
Over the course of his career, Kalamian has served as an assistant coach for numerous seasons dating back to 1995, one of which included serving under Rivers with the Clippers between 2018-20. His other stops as an assistant coach in the NBA include time with the Pistons, Kings, Raptors, Thunder, Timberwolves and Nuggets.
An Armenian-American, Kalamian also brings experience from his time serving as the head coach of the Armenian men's national team since January of 2022.
Milwaukee Bucks interim head coach Joe Prunty reacts to a call during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Fiserv Forum. / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
5. Joe Prunty
Prunty returns for his sixth season as an assistant coach with the Bucks, joining the organization before the start of last year after also working with the team from 2014-18. Last season, Prunty served as the acting head coach for Milwaukee following the firing of Adrian Griffin during the middle of the season, where he posted a 2-1 record before Rivers took over.
Last year's title of acting head coach wasn't the only time Prunty had a stint as an interim head coach. In 2022-23 with the Atlanta, Prunty led the Hawks to a 2-0 record following the firing of Nate McMillan in February of that season. He also held another stint as the interim head coach for the Bucks back in 2017-18, where he led the team to a 21-16 record over the final 37 regular season games that earned Milwaukee a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
Prunty will enter his 28th season in the NBA, which includes time with the Hawks, Suns, Nets, Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, Mavericks and Spurs. Over nine seasons with San Antonio from 1996-05, Prunty helped lead the Spurs to three NBA titles in 1999, 2003 and 2005. He also was apart of the Maverick's staff that reached the 2006 NBA Finals.
6. Vin Baker
Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Vin Baker before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
A former NBA All-Star and Milwaukee Bucks standout himself, Vin Baker is set to return for his eighth season as an assistant coach with the Bucks.
As one of the coaches that was part of the 2021 NBA championship team, Baker has reached the playoffs in all eight of his seasons as an assistant in Milwaukee. His assistant coaching tenure began back in January of the 2018-19 season after opening his coaching career with the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League in 2016.
As a four-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA honoree, Baker played in Milwaukee for four seasons. The Bucks drafted him with the eighth overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft. Baker played in 604 games between his time in Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston, New York, Houston and the Los Angeles Clippers. He was also part of the USA men's national team that earned the gold medal during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
7. Pete Dominguez
Another familiar face on Rivers' staff is Pete Dominguez. After being hired by the Bucks in February of last season, Dominguez is set to begin his first full season as an assistant coach in the NBA.
Dominguez holds a huge prior connection with Rivers as he was previously a head video coordinator for the Clippers (2018-2020) and a coaching associate for the 76ers (2020-2023).
Prior to joining Rivers in the middle of last season, Dominguez started the 2023-24 season as the head coach of Obras Sanitarias, which is a team in the Argentine National Basketball League, before joining Milwaukee as an assistant coach. He also serves as the lead assistant coach under Kalamian for the Armenian men's national team. Dominguez coached the Bucks' Summer League team in Las Vegas in July.
