(MILWAUKEE BUCKS) – The Milwaukee Bucks today named Taylor Jenkins as the team’s new head coach.
“Taylor’s attention to detail, toughness and communication skills make it clear that he knows how to cultivate a winning culture,” Bucks owners Wes Edens, Jimmy and Dee Haslam, and Jamie Dinan said. “We are excited to work together toward our collective goal of sustained success and winning championships.”
“Taylor is an innovative and driven coach who embodies the culture of winning and hard work,” said Bucks General Manager Jon Horst. “His basketball intellect, comprehensive experience and leadership ability have played a key role in building successful teams throughout his career. He’s the right fit to take our team to the next level.”
“My family and I are thrilled to return to Milwaukee, and I’m grateful to Wes, Jimmy and Dee, Jamie and Jon for their confidence in me as the next head coach of the Bucks,” Jenkins said. “I know firsthand how important this team is to Bucks fans and the City of Milwaukee, and I’m so excited to get to work.”
Jenkins most recently spent six seasons (2019-25) as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies and concluded his tenure with a 250-214 (.539) record. His teams reached the playoffs in four of those campaigns and tied a franchise record with 56 wins in the 2021-22 season when he finished as runner-up in the NBA Coach of the Year award balloting.
Prior to becoming an NBA head coach, Jenkins served one year (2018-19) as an assistant coach on Mike Budenholzer’s Bucks staff that won a league-high 60 games and reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000-01. Milwaukee led the league in points per game (118.1) and defensive rating (104.9) and ranked fourth in offensive rating (113.5) that season. Before joining the Bucks, Jenkins spent five seasons (2013-18) under Budenholzer as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks, helping coach the team to four postseason appearances, including a trip to the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals.
Previously he served as the head coach of the Austin Toros of the NBA G League, the San Antonio Spurs affiliate. In 2012-13, Jenkins led the Toros to a first-round playoff victory. Prior to being named head coach, Jenkins served as an assistant coach with the Toros the previous four seasons, including their championship season in 2012 and playoff appearances in 2009 and 2010. Before joining the Toros, Jenkins interned with the Spurs basketball operations department during the 2007-08 season.
Jenkins, 41, becomes the 19th head coach in Bucks history. The Dallas, Texas, native attended The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics while concentrating in Management and minoring in Psychology. He and his wife, Chantall, have three sons and one daughter.
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