Adrian Griffin

Adrian Darnell Griffin (born July 4, 1974) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is 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 collegiately at Seton Hall University.

For the Australian drummer, see Adrian Griffin (drummer).
Adrian Griffin
Griffin in 2007
Milwaukee Bucks
PositionHead coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1974-07-04) July 4, 1974
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–presentMilwaukee 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
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA Americas Championship
Gold medal – first place 1997 Montevideo Team competition

College career

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.[1]

Professional career

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.[2] He was selected to the All-CBA First Team and All-Defensive Team with the Pride in 1998.[2] Griffin led the Pride to the CBA championship in the 1998–99 season as he was named the Finals Most Valuable Player.[2] He was also selected as the CBA Most Valuable Player and earned All-CBA First Team and All-Defensive Team honors.[2]

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.[3]

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.[4]

Coaching career

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.[5]

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.[6]

On July 1, 2016, Griffin was hired by the Oklahoma City Thunder as an assistant coach.[7]

On July 25, 2018, Griffin was hired by the Toronto Raptors as an assistant coach.[8] Griffin was an instrumental piece of the Raptors 2019 championship run, where the Toronto 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.[9]

On June 5, 2023, Griffin was named head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.[10]

Personal life

Griffin is a Christian.[11] His father worked for Boeing in Wichita, Kansas, while also working as a pastor in a local church.[12]

Griffin has completed his bachelor's and master's degrees from Seton Hall.[13] 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."[14] [15] Griffin's son Adrian Jr. was a 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 to continue his collegiate career. His daughter, Aubrey, plays for UConn.

Controversy

In August 2020, Griffin was publicly accused of domestic abuse by his former wife, Audrey Sterling.[16] The Raptors did not take any action against Griffin or conduct any investigation in regards to the allegations.[17][18][19] Griffin filed a defamation suit against Sterling in 2021, which was settled in 2022.[20][21]

NBA career statistics
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
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1999–00 Boston 724726.8.424.281.7535.22.51.6.26.7
2000–01 Boston 4408.6.340.346.7502.0.6.4.12.1
2001–02 Dallas 583423.8.499.296.8373.91.81.3.27.2
2002–03 Dallas 744818.6.433.250.8443.61.41.0.14.4
2003–04 Houston 1917.0.278.500.0001.0.5.4.1.6
2004–05 Chicago 6919.7.360.222.7502.1.8.6.12.2
2005–06 Dallas 524523.9.480.000.7744.41.71.0.24.6
2006–07 Chicago 54110.8.473.000.7892.01.1.6.12.5
2007–08 Chicago 22210.1.400.000.4291.71.0.6.12.3
2007–08 Seattle 1306.5.375.0001.0001.7.4.4.11.1
Career 47717916.8.438.278.7633.21.4.9.14.0

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2002 Dallas 4114.3.588.000.0002.31.0.5.25.0
2003 Dallas 1528.7.415.3331.0002.9.5.3.02.5
2005 Chicago 5017.2.517.000.8004.01.81.0.06.8
2006 Dallas 20817.5.542.000.8753.61.2.8.13.6
2007 Chicago 402.3.000.000.000.3.0.2.0.0
Career 481113.2.487.200.7653.0.9.6.13.4

References
  1. "Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame - Seton Hall Athletics - SHUPirates.com". Seton Hall Athletics - SHUPirates.com. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  2. "Adrian Griffin minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  3. "Report: Bulls, Adrian Griffin agree to three-year deal". ESPN.com. 17 July 2006. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  4. Cavaliers Acquire Williams in Three-Team Trade, August 13th, 2008
  5. "Bulls name assistant coaches". NBA.com. September 8, 2010.
  6. "Magic Name Griffin, Mathis, Elie and Henry Assistant Coaches". NBA.com. June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  7. "Thunder Announces Coaching Staff Update". NBA.com. July 1, 2016.
  8. "Raptors Complete Coaching Staff". NBA.com. July 25, 2018.
  9. Rose, Aaron (10 April 2022). "Raptors End Successful Season as Attention Turns Toward the 76ers and the Playoffs". Sports Illustrated Toronto Raptors News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  10. "Milwaukee Bucks Hire Adrian Griffin As Head Coach". NBA.com. June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  11. Rogan, Adam (June 20, 2023). "9 Things to Know About New Bucks Coach Adrian Griffin". Milwaukee Magazine. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  12. "Fatherhood means most to NBA Champion Adrian Griffin". 12 News. June 17, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  13. Deveney, Sean (April 3, 2014). "The Baseline: Adrian Griffin could be your team's next head coach". Sportingnews.com. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  14. "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.
  15. Commencement | Open Gym: Moment presented by Bell, retrieved 2023-06-12
  16. "Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin accused of domestic violence by former wife". 14 August 2020.
  17. "Raptors, Adrian Griffin Issue Statement Regarding Abuse, and Domestic Violence Allegations - Raptors Republic". 13 August 2020.
  18. "Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin responds to allegations of domestic violence". 13 August 2020.
  19. "Weekend Update: About Adrian Griffin". 28 May 2023.
  20. Owczarski, Jim (May 27, 2023). "Milwaukee Bucks set to hire Adrian Griffin as their new head coach". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  21. "Griffin v. Sterling (7:21-cv-06617), New York Southern District Court".
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