"Yeah, that’s wild" - NBA fans unite with Damian Lillard in support of Mike Budenholzer, who was fired by the Bucks

Portland Trail Blazers superstar point guard Damian Lillard took to Twitter on Thursday to criticize the Milwaukee Bucks for firing head coach Mike Budenholzer. He was fired following the first-seeded Bucks’ first-round upset loss to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat.

However, Lillard pointed out that teams keep giving up on championship coaches far too quickly. This comes as three of the past four NBA title coaches have now been let go by their respective teams (Nick Nurse, Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer).

“Folks out here firing championship coaches as soon as they don’t win the chip …,” Lillard Tweeted.

Many NBA fans agreed with Lillard’s take, pointing out how unfair it is to fire a championship coach so quickly:

“Yeah, that’s wild,” one fan said.

“Winning an NBA championship one year and getting fired the next - that's like winning the lottery and then losing your winning ticket,” another said.

Meanwhile, others pointed out that Budenholzer was fired despite dealing with a personal tragedy and an injury to his team’s best player:

“And don’t have Giannis (Antetokounmpo) for two games and lost a brother in the middle of the series … crazy,” one fan said.

Here are a few more of the top fan reactions to Lillard’s tweet:

Milwaukee Bucks GM Jon Horst and team president Peter Feigin on the firing of Mike Budenholzer

Former Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer

Following Mike Budenholzer’s firing on Thursday, Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst and team president Peter Feigin released a joint statement explaining the decision:

“The decision to make this change was very difficult,” Horst and Feigin said.

“Bud helped lead our team for five incredible seasons, to the Bucks' first title in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success. We are grateful for the culture of winning and leadership that Bud helped create in Milwaukee.

“This is an opportunity for us to refocus and reenergize our efforts as we continue building toward our next championship season.”

Budenholzer’s firing comes despite him having had approximately two years, $16 million remaining on his contract, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Budenholzer finishes his five-year Bucks tenure with a regular season record of 271-120, which was the league’s best record over that span. Budenholzer also led Milwaukee to a 39-26 playoff record.