As Doc Rivers gets ready to enter his first full season as the Milwaukee Bucks head coach, his coaching staff around him will look different. Hired by the Bucks on January 27, the team went just 17-19 with him behind the bench. Without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, they lost in six games to the Indiana Pacers in the opening round of the playoffs.
On Monday, it was announced that Darvin Ham would be joining Milwaukee as an assistant coach. The 50-year-old spent the previous two seasons as the Los Angeles Lakers head coach. Ham will be joining his old stomping grounds as he was an assistant under Mike Budenholzer with Milwaukee from 2018-19 to 2021-22. He earned a championship ring with the Bucks after they beat the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals.
I’m so happy that my friend and Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Doc Rivers has named former Lakers Head Coach Darvin Ham as his new Top Assistant!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 11, 2024
Ham spent eight seasons in the NBA as a player as well. He was a member of the 2004 Detroit Pistons team that won the NBA Finals. On Tuesday, it was reported that another former NBA player would be joining the Bucks bench as an assistant.
Ten-Year NBA Veteran Set To Join Doc Rivers Staff In Milwaukee
Greg Buckner To Join Bucks Staff
Marc Stein has reported that the Bucks are likely to hire Greg Buckner as an assistant coach. The 47-year-old Buckner first became an assistant in the 2014-15 season with the Houston Rockets. He coached there for two seasons.
Also: Ex-Cavaliers assistant Greg Buckner is expected to join Doc Rivers’ staff in Milwaukee, sources say.
Rivers just secured former Lakers coach Darvin Ham for his staff as well. Buckner worked under J.B. Bickerstaff in Cleveland.
More NBA from me: https://t.co/A6ycVmnZ8Y https://t.co/tKFD5XYsN9
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 11, 2024
In the 2018-19 season, Buckner joined the Memphis Grizzlies as an assistant under head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. He followed Bickerstaff to the Cleveland Cavaliers as an assistant during the 2019-20 to 2022-23 seasons. On May 23, Bickerstaff was fired by Cleveland, and they are still in the midst of a head coaching search.
Buckner Played 10 Seasons In The NBA
Between head coach Rivers and assistant coaches Ham and Buckner, there is a lot of playing experience in Milwaukee’s coaching ranks. The 62-year-old Rivers was a player for 13 seasons from 1983-84 to 1995-96. He was named an All-Star while with the Atlanta Hawks in 1987-88 and ranks 39th in league history with 1,563 steals.
Buckner was selected in the second round (53rd overall) by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1998 NBA Draft out of Clemson. The 6-4” guard/forward spent his first three seasons with Dallas. He then followed with two seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, two more with the Denver Nuggets, and back to the Mavericks for a season. Afterwards, he ended with one apiece with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Grizzlies.
In 570 career regular season games (117 starts), Buckner posted overall averages of 5.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. Altogether, he shot 45.0% from the field, 33.4% from three-point territory, and 75.7% from the free throw line.
