One of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s favorite assistant coaches leaves the team Milwaukee Bucksaccording to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Josh Oppenheimer return to university.
“ESPN Sources: Former Milwaukee Bucks assistant Josh Oppenheimer is joining Porter Moser’s staff at Oklahoma,” Wojnarowski posted on his X, formerly Twitter. “Oppenheimer, who has had a close working relationship with Giannis Antetokounmpo, will play a significant role in player development and offensive strategy.”
Oppenheimer’s first coaching experiences spanned more than a decade at the college level, splitting his first four seasons with the Duquesne basketball team and the Delaware basketball team as an assistant. He then headed to Kent State before spending the last 11 years in the NBA.
He spent most of his 11 years with the Bucks, but made stops with the Houston Rockets in 2016-17 and the Brooklyn Nets’ G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets in 2017-18. Oppenheimer was retained by former Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin, who was dismissed from his duties mid-season for Doc Rivers.
Former Sixth Man Lou Williams Backs Doc Rivers
Doc Rivers took over as head coach of the Bucks in late January. But he couldn’t lead Milwaukee past their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers. All-Star Tyrese Haliburton eliminated Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and the Bucks in six games.
Many believe this could be one of Rivers’ last chances to win a second title as a head coach. After more than 20 years of coaching experience, including a title with the Boston Celtics in 2008, the 2024-25 season will be his first full season with the Bucks. And as the pressure for Milwaukee to dethrone the 2024 champion Celtics increases, all eyes will be on how Rivers approaches the upcoming season.
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One of his former players is retired sixth man Lou Williams, who spent four years under Doc’s tutelage with the Los Angeles Clippers. He says Rivers not only convinced him to sign with the Clippers during his playing career, but also gave him the opportunity to play with the Clippers. the best years of his careerthrough Athlon Sports.
“I love Doc. It’s a gray area with Doc. Either guys really like him or they have the worst shit to say about Doc. That wasn’t my experience,” Williams said. “There’s a handful of guys that don’t really get along with Doc. I gotta tell you, that wasn’t my experience, man. When I came here, I thought my career was over, so I wasn’t excited about being a Clipper. Doc reassured me. It ended up being the best stretch of my career. It made people appreciate everything I put into it, and I give Doc a lot of credit for that.”
Williams has won three Sixth Man of the Year Awards (2015, 2018, 2019), including two with Doc and the Clippers, tying former Clipper Jamal Crawford for the most titles in NBA history.
