The successor to Rivers is confirmed! Bucks hire Jenkins as new head coach without consulting Giannis throughout the process.

On April 24 Beijing time, according to renowned reporter Shams, the Bucks have finalized a coaching contract with Taylor Jenkins and will appoint him as the team's new head coach.

The Bucks parted ways with Doc Rivers towards the end of the regular season and subsequently began searching for a new head coach. Rivers himself stated that this departure was entirely his own decision. Shams added that Jenkins is one of the top candidates in this summer's coaching market. The Bucks highly value his previous coaching experience in player development, team culture building, and competitive strength enhancement.Additionally, throughout this head coach selection process, the Bucks did not seek Giannis' opinion at any stage.

Even before Rivers was dismissed, Jenkins had already been linked with the Bucks. Reports earlier this week indicated that after Rivers' departure, both sides had already held meetings. Shams stated that their initial meeting took place last week in Memphis, and they met again this Wednesday for deep discussions regarding the head coach position.

Jenkins previously served as an assistant coach under Mike Budenholzer with the Hawks and the Bucks, and officially became the head coach of the Grizzlies in 2019. Over nearly six full coaching seasons, he led the Grizzlies to a regular season record of 250 wins and 214 losses, with a winning percentage of 53.9%, and was ultimately fired with only two weeks remaining in the 2024-25 season.

Before Jenkins took over, the Grizzlies had multiple seasons with winning percentages below 50%. Under his coaching, the team returned to the playoffs, but the Memphis-era Grizzlies never broke through the bottleneck: they reached the Western Conference semifinals in 2022, and were eliminated in the first round in both 2021 and 2023. After Jenkins' departure, Tuomas Iisala took over the Grizzlies' coaching duties; the team was still eliminated in the first round in 2025, and the Grizzlies have now officially entered a rebuilding phase.

Whether the Bucks will also enter a roster adjustment transition period remains unknown. However, it is almost certain that when Jenkins accepted this head coach contract, he did not receive any guarantees and cannot confirm whether Giannis will still be on the Bucks roster when the 2026-27 season begins.

Bucks co-owner Wes Edens stated last month that this superstar forward is likely to either sign an early extension or be traded within a year. Subsequently, disagreements arose between Giannis and the team due to knee injury issues at the end of the season, further intensifying the conflict. Notably, Giannis later publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with Edens' remarks.

After the Bucks officially complete the signing with Jenkins, only the Bulls and the Pelicans remain in search of a full-time, official head coach. As the offseason progresses, more teams may possibly join the ranks of those changing coaches.