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Mike Budenholzer tears up at opportunity to coach his hometown Suns

Holbrook, Arizona native Mike Budenholzer is excited and emotional, to say the least, to be given the opportunity to coach his hometown Phoenix Suns.

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Today, the Suns held an introductory press conference for their 22nd head coach in franchise history after announcing his hire last Saturday.

“I would coach this team if it was on the moon,” Budenholzer said of the opportunity. “I would coach this team if it was in Alaska. If these players were in Denmark, these owners and front office. I would go anywhere to coach this team. That’s the most important thing for me.

“I’m excited about the roster. I’m excited about everything, so it’s amazing. I don’t know what the word is: surreal or wild.”

Budenholzer’s family was in attendance for the press conference, including his 94-year-old father, Vince, who Budenholzer called “the original coach Bud.” His dad coached basketball at Holbrook High School for 25 years, won a state championship in 1971 and is in the Arizona Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

To top off the emotions of today, Budenholzer was introduced to the media by the legendary former “Voice of the Suns,” Al McCoy, who Budenholzer grew up listening to. After embracing McCoy, Budenholzer bowed down in front of him and said “one of my heroes right there.”

”I welcome you to what I believe is one of the highlights of the Suns’ entire history that we’re going to be a part of here today,” McCoy, who was the radio announcer for the Suns from 1972-2023, said to start of the day.

Budenholzer, who has won NBA Coach of the Year twice in his 10 years as a head coach, continued on his remarks about how much this moment means to him by circling back to McCoy.

“To have Al introduce me and to think about you know, Alvan Adams at the elbows, ‘Double-A,’ and ‘Sweet D’ (Walter Davis) and Paul Westphal. My dad taking me in the backyard and teaching me Paul Westphal reverse pivot into a pump fake into a step through. I mean, I could go on,” Budenholzer said. “I’m probably in the wrong room to do Suns trivia, but in other states in the country, I’d probably do okay.

“I’m beyond excited about this opportunity, but it’s most really about the players, it’s about the organization. It’s about the team. And I can’t wait to get to work.”

This year, the Suns fell short of championship expectations, going to 49-33 in the regular season and getting swept in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves. This subsequently led to the firing of first-year coach Frank Vogel.

Budenholzer won the 2021 NBA Finals with the Milwaukee Bucks over the Suns. Both owner Mat Ishbia and President of Basketball Operations and general manager James Jones said a couple weeks ago that they still feel the Suns had the roster to compete for a championship, but Budenholzer made one thing clear.

“If our focus is on what we’re doing every day, that’s what matters most,” Budenholzer said. “Talking about championships, it’s kind of meaningless. At the end of the day, talk is cheap. What you do every day is powerful.

“As I talked to our players, I talked to our ownership, our front office, everybody (I asked) ‘What are we doing every day to be our best?’ That’s what’s gonna give us our best chance to win championships in Phoenix so I could not be more excited. It’s like mind boggling to me, mind blowing, to think that I’m gonna be the head coach of the Phoenix Suns.”

With that being said, what would it mean for Budenholzer to bring the Suns their first NBA championship?

“It would be special,” Budenholzer said. “But again, it’s going to be special for every single person in this room for every single person on the roster, whether you’ve won one championship, or two championships, or four or five, it doesn’t matter when you win a championship, it’s special.

“Certainly, there’s a story and I understand it, and I appreciate it, but we’re going to work every day to try and bring a championship to Phoenix. I think everybody’s gonna be just as excited as I am if that happens, and we’re all going to have an amazing time and an amazing feeling. But it’s a ton of work that goes into it. And I think we all are excited about the work.”

Mike Budenholzer, James Jones spotted at NBA draft combine

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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau

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