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Adrian Griffin

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For the Australian drummer, see Adrian Griffin (drummer).

Adrian Griffin
Griffin in 2007
Personal information
Born (1974-07-04) July 4, 1974 (age 50)
Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolWichita East (Wichita, Kansas)
CollegeSeton Hall (1992–1996)
NBA draft1996: undrafted
Playing career1996–2008
PositionSmall forward / shooting guard
Number44, 7
Coaching career2008–present
Career history
As player:
1996Long Island Surf
1996–1998Connecticut Pride
1998Atlantic City Seagulls
1998Roseto
1998–1999Connecticut Pride
1999Atlantic City Seagulls
1999–2001Boston Celtics
2001–2003Dallas Mavericks
2003–2004Houston Rockets
2004–2005Chicago Bulls
2005–2006Dallas Mavericks
2006–2008Chicago Bulls
2008Seattle SuperSonics
As coach:
2008–2010Milwaukee Bucks (assistant)
2010–2015Chicago Bulls (assistant)
2015–2016Orlando Magic (assistant)
2016–2018Oklahoma City Thunder (assistant)
2018–2023Toronto Raptors (assistant)
2023–2024Milwaukee Bucks
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As assistant coach:

Career NBA statistics
Points1,919 (4.0 ppg)
Rebounds1,512 (3.2 rpg)
Assists653 (1.4 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA Americas Championship
Gold medal – first place 1997 Montevideo Team competition

Adrian Darnell Griffin Sr. (born July 4, 1974) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as the head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA as a shooting guard and small forward from 1999 to 2008. Griffin grew up in Wichita, Kansas, and played college basketball for the Seton Hall Pirates.

Controversy

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In August 2020, Griffin was publicly accused of domestic abuse by his former wife, Audrey Sterling.[1] The Raptors did not take any action against Griffin or conduct any investigation in regards to the allegations.[2][3][4] Griffin filed a defamation suit against Sterling in 2021, which was settled in 2022.[5][6]

College career

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Griffin attended Seton Hall University and was a three-year starter. As a senior, he averaged 16.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game, and won All-Big East second team honors. In 2010, Griffin was inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame.[7]

Professional career

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Griffin was not selected in the 1996 NBA draft. He spent the first three years of his career in the American minor leagues and in Italy (playing 8 games for Cordivari Roseto from July to October 1998). Griffin was selected to the All-Rookie First Team in 1997 while playing for the Connecticut Pride of the Continental Basketball Association.[8] He was selected to the All-CBA First Team and All-Defensive Team with the Pride in 1998.[8] Griffin led the Pride to the CBA championship in the 1998–99 season as he was named the Finals Most Valuable Player.[8] He was also selected as the CBA Most Valuable Player and earned All-CBA First Team and All-Defensive Team honors.[8]

Griffin began his National Basketball Association (NBA) career in 1999–2000 with the Boston Celtics. As a rookie, his averages were 7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.61 steals per game.

Over six seasons, he played for the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls, averaging 4.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and one steal per game. A career highlight was becoming a starter for the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals.

After one season with the Mavericks, Griffin signed a three-year deal with the Chicago Bulls on July 17, 2006.[9]

On February 21, 2008, Griffin was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in an 11-player deal that involved players from the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the SuperSonics.

On August 13, 2008, Griffin was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team, six-player deal involving the Bucks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Oklahoma City Thunder that also sent Milwaukee's Mo Williams to Cleveland, Cleveland's Joe Smith and Milwaukee's Desmond Mason to Oklahoma City, and Cleveland's Damon Jones and Oklahoma City's Luke Ridnour to Milwaukee.[10]

Coaching career

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Assistant coach (2008–2023)

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Shortly after his playing career ended, he was hired by Milwaukee Bucks head coach Scott Skiles as an assistant, where he would work for the next two seasons.

On September 8, 2010, he became an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls under Tom Thibodeau, where he coached for five years.[11]

Along with working in the NBA, in 2014, Griffin accepted the offer to work with the USA coaching staff that helped win the gold medal in the 2014 FIBA World Cup. This team featured many NBA stars including: Stephen Curry, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving.

On June 26, 2015, he was hired by the Orlando Magic to be their top assistant coach.[12]

On July 1, 2016, Griffin was hired by the Oklahoma City Thunder as an assistant coach.[13]

On July 25, 2018, Griffin was hired by the Toronto Raptors as an assistant coach.[14] Griffin was an instrumental piece of the Raptors 2019 championship run,[citation needed] where they defeated the Golden State Warriors in 6 games of the 2019 NBA Finals, yielding Griffin his first championship ring. On April 10, 2022, Griffin served as the acting head coach for the Raptors' final game of the 2021–22 regular season against the Knicks.[15]

Milwaukee Bucks (2023–2024)

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On June 5, 2023, Griffin was named head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.[16] Griffin was fired on January 23, 2024.[17] The team was 30–13 and in second place in the Eastern Conference at the time, though their wins had not been resounding.[18] After his firing, the Bucks went 5–8 in their last 13 games before the 2024 NBA All-Star break began on February 16.[19] With Milwaukee owning the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and the top-seeded Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla having coached in the 2023 NBA All Star Game the year prior, the Bucks’ coaching staff was named as the unit to coach in the 2024 game, however due to Griffin's termination, newly appointed Bucks head coach Doc Rivers instead coached the Eastern Conference All-Stars in the contest. A few weeks prior to the game, Rivers said he would award his All Star ring and bonus check to Griffin.[20]

Personal life

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Griffin is a Christian.[21] His father worked for Boeing in Wichita, Kansas, while also working as a pastor in a local church.[22]

Griffin completed his bachelor's and master's degrees from Seton Hall.[23] He earned his Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership at Concordia University Chicago in January 2022. His doctoral dissertation was titled "How Active NBA Assistant Coaches Experience Stress, Stressors, Coping Strategies, and Interventions in a Competitive Sports Environment."[24][25]

Griffin married Audrey Sterling in 1996. Together, they had four children - two boys and two girls. Griffin and Audrey divorced in 2016.[26] Griffin went on to marry a second time, to his current wife, Kathy in 2016.[27][28]

Griffin's son Adrian Jr. was a McDonald's All-American and five-star recruit in the class of 2021 and was drafted 16th overall to the Atlanta Hawks in 2022. Griffin's other son, Alan, played his first two college seasons at Illinois before transferring to Syracuse his junior season. He last played for the Milwaukee Bucks on a summer league contract.[29] His daughter, Aubrey, was also McDonald's All-American and five-star recruit in the class of 2019 and currently plays for UConn.[30]

NBA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1999–00 Boston 72 47 26.8 .424 .281 .753 5.2 2.5 1.6 .2 6.7
2000–01 Boston 44 0 8.6 .340 .346 .750 2.0 .6 .4 .1 2.1
2001–02 Dallas 58 34 23.8 .499 .296 .837 3.9 1.8 1.3 .2 7.2
2002–03 Dallas 74 48 18.6 .433 .250 .844 3.6 1.4 1.0 .1 4.4
2003–04 Houston 19 1 7.0 .278 .500 .000 1.0 .5 .4 .1 .6
2004–05 Chicago 69 1 9.7 .360 .222 .750 2.1 .8 .6 .1 2.2
2005–06 Dallas 52 45 23.9 .480 .000 .774 4.4 1.7 1.0 .2 4.6
2006–07 Chicago 54 1 10.8 .473 .000 .789 2.0 1.1 .6 .1 2.5
2007–08 Chicago 22 2 10.1 .400 .000 .429 1.7 1.0 .6 .1 2.3
Seattle 13 0 6.5 .375 .000 1.000 1.7 .4 .4 .1 1.1
Career 477 179 16.8 .438 .278 .763 3.2 1.4 .9 .1 4.0

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2002 Dallas 4 1 14.3 .588 .000 .000 2.3 1.0 .5 .2 5.0
2003 Dallas 15 2 8.7 .415 .333 1.000 2.9 .5 .3 .0 2.5
2005 Chicago 5 0 17.2 .517 .000 .800 4.0 1.8 1.0 .0 6.8
2006 Dallas 20 8 17.5 .542 .000 .875 3.6 1.2 .8 .1 3.6
2007 Chicago 4 0 2.3 .000 .000 .000 .3 .0 .2 .0 .0
Career 48 11 13.2 .487 .200 .765 3.0 .9 .6 .1 3.4

Head coaching record

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NBA

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Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Milwaukee 2023–24 43 30 13 .698 (fired) — — — — —
Career 43 30 13 .698   — — — —

References

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  1. ^ "Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin accused of domestic violence by former wife". August 14, 2020.
  2. ^ "Raptors, Adrian Griffin Issue Statement Regarding Abuse, and Domestic Violence Allegations - Raptors Republic". August 13, 2020.
  3. ^ Rose, Aaron (August 13, 2020). "Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin responds to allegations of domestic violence". SI.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  4. ^ "Weekend Update: About Adrian Griffin". May 28, 2023.
  5. ^ Owczarski, Jim (May 27, 2023). "Milwaukee Bucks set to hire Adrian Griffin as their new head coach". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  6. ^ "Griffin v. Sterling (7:21-cv-06617), New York Southern District Court".
  7. ^ "Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame - Seton Hall Athletics - SHUPirates.com". Seton Hall Athletics - SHUPirates.com. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  8. ^ a b c d "Adrian Griffin minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  9. ^ "Report: Bulls, Adrian Griffin agree to three-year deal". ESPN.com. July 17, 2006. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  10. ^ Cavaliers Acquire Williams in Three-Team Trade, August 13, 2008
  11. ^ "Bulls name assistant coaches". NBA.com. September 8, 2010.
  12. ^ "Magic Name Griffin, Mathis, Elie and Henry Assistant Coaches". NBA.com. June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  13. ^ "Thunder Announces Coaching Staff Update". NBA.com. July 1, 2016.
  14. ^ "Raptors Complete Coaching Staff". NBA.com. July 25, 2018.
  15. ^ Rose, Aaron (April 10, 2022). "Raptors End Successful Season as Attention Turns Toward the 76ers and the Playoffs". Sports Illustrated Toronto Raptors News, Analysis and More. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  16. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Hire Adrian Griffin As Head Coach". NBA.com. June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  17. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Dismiss Head Coach Adrian Griffin". NBA.com. January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  18. ^ "Doc Rivers leader for Bucks coaching vacancy after Milwaukee fires Adrian Griffin: Sources". The Athletic. January 24, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  19. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Record Since January 23, 2024". StatMuse. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  20. ^ "Doc Rivers to coach in All-Star Game, a move he calls 'ridiculously bad'". Washington Post. February 4, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  21. ^ Rogan, Adam (June 20, 2023). "9 Things to Know About New Bucks Coach Adrian Griffin". Milwaukee Magazine. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  22. ^ "Fatherhood means most to NBA Champion Adrian Griffin". 12 News. June 17, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  23. ^ Deveney, Sean (April 3, 2014). "The Baseline: Adrian Griffin could be your team's next head coach". Sportingnews.com. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  24. ^ "COB Congratulates Recent Doctoral Dissertation Defenders" (PDF). Concordia University Chicago Newsletter: Updates from the College of Business. River Forest, Illinois: Concordia University Chicago College of Business. April 2022. p. 2. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  25. ^ Commencement | Open Gym: Moment presented by Bell, retrieved June 12, 2023
  26. ^ "NBA Coach Adrian Griffin Sues Ex-Wife for Defamation, You Tried to Ruin My Life!!".
  27. ^ "How COVID-19 pandemic brought ex-Seton Hall star Adrian Griffin closer to his son, Duke recruit A.J. Griffin". November 12, 2020.
  28. ^ "Adrian Griffin".
  29. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  30. ^ "Aubrey Griffin - Women's Basketball". University of Connecticut Athletics. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
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