Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer issued a statement Saturday night regarding the family emergency that required him to leave the team prior to Friday’s game against the Celtics. This situation involved a medical emergency with his wife Mary Bet. There remains no timetable on when Budenholzer will return to his coaching duties.
The statement read:
“On Friday morning, I returned to Atlanta from Boston to be with my family due to an emergency medical situation involving my wife. We are encouraged by her progress to this point and remain cautiously optimistic.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the doctors and support staff at Emory for the outstanding care they have provided my wife. I would also like to thank my coaching staff, our players and the entire Hawks organization for their support and encouragement during this time. We are humbled by the outpouring of support from so many friends and members of the NBA family. It is greatly appreciated.
“Finally, I’d like to thank the media and our fans for respecting our family’s continued request for privacy during this period.
“I will return to the team as soon as possible and will be happy to answer any basketball-related questions at that time.”
The Hawks are scheduled to play the Jazz at home on Sunday evening. The schedule then includes games at the Nets on Tuesday, home against the Kings on Wednesday and at the Cavaliers on Saturday. Assistant coach Kenny Atkinson handled the coaching duties in Budenholzer’s absence and will continue to do so until he returns.
