The Atlanta Hawks will be without their head coach, Mike Budenholzer, for a while.
Budenholzer was not with the team Friday night for their game against the Boston Celtics as he remained in Atlanta to be with his family following an undisclosed medical emergency with his wife, reported The Associated Press.
While the team did not disclose details of the his wife’s condition, a statement was released stating that Budenholzer would “return to the team as soon as possible,” according to Reuters.
The 46-year-old coach was the recipient of last season’s NBA coach of the year and is in his third year as Hawks head coach. While Budenholzer has never played in the NBA, he spent 17 years serving as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs before being tabbed Atlanta’s head coach in 2013.
Last season, Budenholzer led the Hawks to their best season ever, winning a franchise-record 60 wins and guiding the team to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they fell short to the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James.
Budenholzer also assumed the role of president of basketball operations following the departure of general manager Danny Ferry this past offseason, after Ferry was let go for making racially insensitive comments about Heat forward Luol Deng.
It remains to be seen how long Budenholzer will be away from the Hawks while he tends to his ailing wife. The Hawks, currently 8-3, are coming off of a loss to the Boston Celtics, but are still 1st in the Southeast Division.
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