Milwaukee's Mike Budenholzer earns spot as head coach of Team Giannis in 2019 NBA All-Star Game

NEW YORK — Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer and his staff will coach Team Giannis in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 17 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

The 68th NBA All-Star Game, which sees Team LeBron face off against Team Giannis, will be broadcasted live at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio within the U.S. Furthermore, the NBA All-Star 2019 will be accessible to fans in over 200 countries and territories, with coverage in over 40 languages.

With Thursday’s 105-92 victory over the Toronto Raptors, the Bucks (37-13, .740) clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference through games played on Sunday, Feb. 3. As a result, Budenholzer earned the spot to coach Team Giannis over the 13 other eligible Eastern Conference head coaches. The Detroit Pistons’ Dwane Casey was ineligible because he coached Team LeBron in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game as head coach of the Raptors.

Each NBA All-Star Game head coach will lead the team that includes the captain from the same conference. Budenholzer and his staff will coach the All-Star team captained by their own player, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The head coach of the team that has the best record in the Western Conference as of Feb. 3 will lead the All-Star team captained by LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers. However, Mike D’Antoni, the head coach of Houston Rockets, is not eligible as he coached Team Stephen in the previous year’s All-Star Game.

This is Budenholzer’s second time receiving the honor of head coach for the NBA All-Star Game, having previously led the Eastern Conference in 2015 as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. He is the second person to serve as the Bucks’ All-Star Game head coach, following Larry Costello who held the position in 1971 and 1974.

Budenholzer is currently in his debut season with the Bucks, having previously been the head coach of the Hawks for five seasons. His tenure at Atlanta saw him guide the team to a 213-197 (.520) record, four playoff appearances and a place in the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals. His stellar performance in the 2014-15 season, where he led the Hawks to a record-breaking 60-22, earned him the NBA Coach of the Year title.