Bucks Name Taylor Jenkins Head Coach

The Milwaukee Bucks named Taylor Jenkins as their new head coach on Thursday, ending a search to replace Doc Rivers following a 50-loss season that ended the team's streak of nine consecutive playoff appearances.

Jenkins, 41, returns to Milwaukee after serving as an assistant coach there during the 2018-19 season under Mike Budenholzer. That Bucks team finished 60-22, led the NBA in points per game and defensive rating, and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals before losing a 2-0 series lead to the Toronto Raptors, the eventual champions.

The Dallas native most recently coached the Memphis Grizzlies for six seasons from 2019 to 2025, compiling a 250-214 record. His teams made the playoffs four times, including three straight appearances from 2021 to 2023, and tied a franchise record with 56 wins in 2021-22, when he finished second in NBA Coach of the Year voting. The Grizzlies fired him with nine games remaining in the 2024-25 season; they were later swept by Oklahoma City in the first round.

Before Memphis, Jenkins spent five seasons as an assistant with Budenholzer in Atlanta from 2013 to 2018, helping the Hawks reach four playoffs, including the 2015 Eastern Conference...