Jusuf Nurkic decided to take the gloves off about his old coach. Now he is taking heat for crossing a line plenty of people think he should have respected.
The Utah Jazz center appeared on X&Os Chat with Edin Avdic and unloaded on Mike Budenholzer, his head coach during their messy run together in Phoenix. The shot that has everyone talking? Nurkic called Budenholzer an “alcohol addict.”
“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. “He was really having a problem with it.”
The Backlash Was Immediate
Social media did what social media does. Suns fans, NBA observers, and even people who never liked Budenholzer pointed out that Nurkic should have left this one alone. The criticism cut a few different ways.
One fan account noted Nurkic himself was not exactly carrying his weight during that Suns season. Another pointed out the obvious: addiction is not the kind of thing you casually toss into a podcast interview about a former employer.
The most pointed criticism reminded fans that Budenholzer lost his brother in a car crash in 2023 while still coaching the Bucks. Whatever was going on with Budenholzer in Phoenix, dragging that into a public airing of grievances is rough.
The Budenholzer Suns Era Was a Disaster
Nurkic is not wrong that the Suns season was a wreck. Phoenix entered 2024-25 with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal on the roster and somehow finished 36-46. They missed the playoffs entirely. Budenholzer got fired before he could finish a second season.
Nurkic was traded out of Phoenix that same year, eventually landing in Utah. He clearly has not let go of how it ended.
His broader point about the team environment being broken probably has merit. Coaching that roster around three ball-dominant stars was always going to be hard. Budenholzer reportedly clashed with Durant on basic offensive concepts. That part Nurkic also mentioned, saying Bud was “explaining to Kevin Durant how to score a basket.”
There’s a Way to Say This
The “absurd” Durant anecdote alone would have been newsworthy without the personal attack. Plenty of former players have aired out coaches for tactical disagreements or chemistry problems. That is fair game.
The “alcohol addict” line is what crossed into territory that even people who agree with Nurkic’s broader take are calling out. You either keep that to yourself or you bring receipts. Nurkic did neither.
What Happens Next
Budenholzer has not responded publicly yet. He has a two-time Coach of the Year trophy and a championship ring from Milwaukee on his resume, so his reputation is not going anywhere because of one podcast clip. Whether this affects his next job search is the bigger question.
Nurkic now has to walk into Jazz training camp in October and answer questions about it. He brought this storm on himself.
The honest read here is that Nurkic’s career has been on a steep decline for years. Whatever frustration he is carrying about Phoenix, dragging Budenholzer’s personal life into it makes him look smaller, not bigger.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
