Former Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic has made stunning claims about ex-head coach Mike Budenholzer, opening up about what he described as a chaotic and unhealthy environment during their time together in Phoenix.
“The situation we were in, the environment, we were in. And then you find out, well, I don’t know if I should say this. But the guy was an alcohol addict,” Nurkic said during the X&O Chat Podcast. “He was really having a problem with it.”
Budenholzer arrived in Phoenix with championship pedigree after previously winning an NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 and earning two NBA Coach of the Year awards during his career.
Expectations were high when he took over a roster led by Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, but the Suns never found consistent form throughout the season.
Nurkic also described moments during team meetings that left players stunned, including interactions involving Durant.
“He was literally explaining to Kevin Durant how to score a basket,” Nurkic said. “If he had been telling to me, or Gordon, or Royce O’Neal or Grayson Allen, whatever, but explaining to Kevin Durant how to score? That’s like explaining to a pilot how to fly a plane.”
The veteran big man suggested the problems extended beyond basketball strategy and into the overall communication within the organization.
“Not just for me, but to everyone the whole system felt so absurd,” Nurkic added.
He also claimed Budenholzer’s individual meetings with players often became uncomfortable and confrontational.
“He would schedule one-on-one meetings. Just to provoke people,” Nurkic said. “He’d tell Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, ‘You have no idea, you need to be this, you need to be that…’ I mean, you’d sit there and couldn’t believe what you were hearing.”
Despite entering the season viewed as a contender in the Western Conference, Phoenix struggled to meet expectations and failed to establish itself as a serious championship threat.
READ MORE: Chet Holmgren Nightmare Game 7 Raises Big Questions