Mike Budenholzer has spent more than three decades around championship-level basketball, but the former Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns coach has often described family as one of the strongest influences on his life. That family story has returned to attention following reports that his ex-wife, Mary Barth, married his former San Antonio Spurs mentor Gregg Popovich in September 2026.
Budenholzer and Mary share four children: William Vincent, Savoia Elizabeth “Libby,” Hanna Louise and John Bent. The two-time NBA Coach of the Year also comes from an unusually large Arizona family. He is the youngest of seven children born to Vince and Libby Budenholzer, with basketball, education and public service playing major roles in his upbringing.
How Many Children Does Mike Budenholzer Have?
Mike Budenholzer has four children with his former wife Mary Barth Budenholzer.
Their names are William Vincent, Savoia Elizabeth, Hanna Louise and John Bent. The children are also commonly referred to as Will, Libby, Hanna and John.
Budenholzer has generally kept their individual lives away from extensive media attention. They have occasionally appeared around his basketball career, but he has avoided turning his children into public figures.
His connection with them became particularly visible when he returned to his home state to coach the Phoenix Suns in 2024.
During his introductory press conference, Budenholzer explained that his year away from NBA coaching had allowed him to spend considerably more time with his children. He described attending his son’s high school games and said the additional family time had felt like a gift.
Budenholzer Publicly Thanked His Children in Phoenix
When Phoenix introduced Budenholzer as head coach in May 2024, his family became one of the emotional themes of the press conference.
Two graduations were taking place in the family that week, and Budenholzer spoke about how proud he was of his children.
His comments were notable because the previous year had included both a coaching change and a devastating death in his family.
Budenholzer had been dismissed by the Milwaukee Bucks in May 2023, two seasons after leading the franchise to its first NBA championship in 50 years. He then spent the 2023-24 season away from coaching before accepting the Suns job.
That break gave him a rare opportunity to focus on his children after decades of NBA schedules dominated by practices, travel and playoff basketball.
Who Is Mike Budenholzer’s Ex-Wife Mary Barth?
Mary Barth was Budenholzer’s longtime wife during much of his rise through the NBA coaching ranks.
The former couple shared their four children and spent years connected to the San Antonio Spurs organization while Budenholzer worked under Gregg Popovich.
Their marriage ended in divorce in 2016, according to current reporting. Mary largely remained outside the public spotlight after the separation.
In September 2026, Mary unexpectedly returned to NBA headlines when reports revealed that she had married Popovich.
A Bexar County marriage license showed that Popovich and Mary exchanged wedding rings in Texas on September 16. The exact timeline of their relationship before the wedding has not been publicly disclosed.
Budenholzer has not publicly detailed his response to the marriage.
Who Is Mike Budenholzer’s Partner Lisa?
Budenholzer publicly identified a woman named Lisa as his partner during his Phoenix Suns introductory press conference in May 2024.
While thanking members of his family who had supported him, he described Lisa as a “game-changer” in his life. She was present for the press conference.
Budenholzer did not provide extensive information about her background or how long they had been together.
There has also been little subsequent public reporting about the relationship. For that reason, details beyond Budenholzer’s own acknowledgment of Lisa as his partner in 2024 remain limited.
Who Are Mike Budenholzer’s Parents?
Mike Budenholzer was born to Alfred Vincent “Vince” Budenholzer and Elizabeth “Libby” Budenholzer.
He grew up in Holbrook, Arizona, a small community where the Budenholzer family became closely associated with basketball and civic life.
Vince was a teacher and accomplished basketball coach who spent approximately 25 years coaching high school and college teams in Arizona. He eventually became a member of the Arizona Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
His influence on Mike was substantial.
Budenholzer has frequently described his father as the “original Coach Bud,” a nickname that reflected just how directly Vince’s career shaped his youngest son’s eventual profession.
Vince Budenholzer Won a State Championship
One of Vince Budenholzer’s biggest coaching achievements came in 1971.
He led Holbrook High School to an Arizona state basketball championship, with his son Jim playing on the team.
Basketball consequently became part of everyday life in the Budenholzer household.
Accounts from Holbrook describe the family’s home as a gathering place for basketball, complete with a concrete court where local children regularly played.
Mike eventually became the most famous basketball figure in the family, but his coaching career clearly followed a path established by his father decades earlier.
Vince died in February 2026. His obituary noted that he had remained deeply involved in basketball even into his 90s and attended all 42 Phoenix home games during Mike’s season coaching the Suns.
Mike Budenholzer’s Mother Made History in Holbrook
Libby Budenholzer built a public-service legacy of her own.
She became the first woman elected to Holbrook’s city council in 1975. In 1981, she became the city’s first female mayor.
That made the Budenholzer household influential in two very different parts of the small Arizona community.
Vince was closely associated with basketball and education, while Libby became a significant figure in local government.
Mike later credited his parents with creating a childhood environment that exposed their seven children to people from different backgrounds in the diverse community surrounding Holbrook and the nearby Navajo Nation.
Libby died in 2023 after more than 70 years of marriage to Vince.
How Many Siblings Does Mike Budenholzer Have?
Mike Budenholzer was the youngest of seven children.
His siblings are Jim, Richard, Joe, Theresa, Helen and Bill. Mike was the youngest son in the family.
Growing up in such a large household became an important part of Budenholzer’s personality and coaching background.
NBA.com has described him as the youngest of five boys and two girls. Budenholzer also recalled developing a particularly strong connection with his father through sports.
The family’s basketball connection continued beyond Mike. His older brother Jim was part of the Holbrook High School team coached by Vince to the 1971 state championship.
His Brother Richard Died During the 2023 NBA Playoffs
The Budenholzer family suffered a major tragedy in April 2023.
Mike’s older brother Richard Thomas Budenholzer died in a car accident on April 23, 2023. He was returning from Arizona after helping care for his parents. Richard was 69.
The accident occurred during Milwaukee’s first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat.
Budenholzer continued coaching through the immediate aftermath without publicly announcing what had happened.
News of the death emerged later during the series, with Lakers coach and former Bucks assistant Darvin Ham among those offering support to Budenholzer.
Richard had worked as a pharmacist in San Diego and was the second-oldest of the seven Budenholzer children.
The loss came shortly before Milwaukee’s season ended and Budenholzer was dismissed as Bucks coach.
Basketball Has Defined Much of the Budenholzer Family Story
Mike Budenholzer’s own basketball path began long before he reached the NBA.
Born on August 6, 1969, he played basketball, football and golf at Holbrook High School before attending Pomona College, where he was a four-year letterman in basketball and golf.
He later played professionally in Denmark and began coaching youth teams there.
His NBA career started when he joined the San Antonio Spurs as a video coordinator in 1994.
Budenholzer eventually became a Spurs assistant under Popovich and remained on the coaching staff from 1996 through 2013. During that period, he helped San Antonio win NBA championships in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007.
That long professional relationship makes Mary’s 2026 marriage to Popovich particularly notable.
Budenholzer Became an NBA Championship Coach
Budenholzer left San Antonio in 2013 to become head coach of the Atlanta Hawks.
His 2014-15 Hawks team finished 60-22, and Budenholzer was named NBA Coach of the Year.
He later joined Milwaukee and won the award again in 2019.
His biggest achievement came in 2021 when he coached Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks to the NBA championship, defeating the Phoenix Suns in six games.
The title created another memorable family moment. A photograph from the championship celebration showed Vince and Libby surrounded by their children, including Mike.
Three years later, Budenholzer was hired by the very team Milwaukee had beaten for the championship.
What Happened With the Phoenix Suns?
Budenholzer’s homecoming to Arizona lasted only one season.
Phoenix hired him in May 2024 on a deal widely reported at approximately five years and $50 million.
The Suns began the season 8-1 but eventually struggled with injuries, inconsistent rotations and disappointing results.
Phoenix finished 36-46 and missed even the Western Conference play-in tournament.
The franchise fired Budenholzer on April 14, 2025, after one season. His overall NBA head-coaching record stood at 520-363 following his Phoenix tenure.
He has not returned to an NBA head-coaching position since that dismissal.
Family Remains Central to Budenholzer’s Story
Mike Budenholzer’s career has included championships, Coach of the Year awards and nearly two decades working beside Gregg Popovich, but his family history is unusually intertwined with basketball.
His father coached for 25 years. His mother became a trailblazing mayor. He grew up as the youngest of seven children and later became the father of four.
He has also experienced significant family change and loss, including his divorce from Mary, Richard’s sudden death in 2023, his mother’s death that same year and his father’s death in 2026.
Mary’s September 2026 marriage to Popovich has brought renewed attention to those connections, but Budenholzer himself has continued to keep much of his family life private.
FAQ
How many children does Mike Budenholzer have?
Mike Budenholzer has four children: William Vincent, Savoia Elizabeth “Libby,” Hanna Louise and John Bent.
Who is Mike Budenholzer’s ex-wife?
His ex-wife is Mary Barth Budenholzer. They share four children and divorced in 2016.
Did Mary Barth marry Gregg Popovich?
Yes. A Bexar County marriage license shows that Mary Barth Budenholzer and Gregg Popovich married in Texas on September 16, 2026.
Who is Mike Budenholzer’s partner?
Budenholzer publicly referred to a woman named Lisa as his partner during his Phoenix Suns introductory press conference in May 2024. He described her as a major positive influence in his life.
Who are Mike Budenholzer’s parents?
His parents were Vince and Libby Budenholzer. Vince was a longtime Arizona basketball coach, while Libby became Holbrook’s first female city council member and later its first female mayor.
How many siblings does Mike Budenholzer have?
Budenholzer has six siblings and is the youngest of seven children. His siblings are Jim, Richard, Joe, Theresa, Helen and Bill.
Which of Mike Budenholzer’s brothers died?
His older brother Richard Thomas Budenholzer died in a car accident on April 23, 2023, during Milwaukee’s playoff series against Miami.
Is Mike Budenholzer still coaching?
Budenholzer most recently coached the Phoenix Suns. The team fired him in April 2025 after one season, when Phoenix finished 36-46.
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