Life is good these days for former University Heights Academy basketball star Greg Buckner, who just finished his 13th year as an NBA assistant coach.
Buckner, who was an All-ACC performer at Clemson before playing 10 seasons in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Minnesota Timberwolves, spent the 2024-25 season on the bench with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Buckner said injuries to several key players affected the team, which lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers in five games.
Coaching wasn’t always Buckner’s ambition after retiring as a player following the 2008-09 season. He entered the AAU coaching ranks and coached his son, his brothers’ sons and his stepson. Soon, a coaching opportunity came knocking at his door.
Buckner was with Houston for five seasons before joining the Grizzlies’ staff for two seasons. He was an assistant at Cleveland and stepped in for head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and earned his first coaching win in 2021. He joined the Bucks’ staff before last season.
Before he got into coaching, Buckner gave back to his hometown community, establishing the GBUCK League at the then Walnut Street Center. It was a league that combined life skills classes and basketball.
The league lasted for years and Buckner said several success stories came from the program.
Buckner isn’t the only local player who has joined the coaching ranks. Former Hopkinsville High School coach Chris Crutchfield coaches at Omaha and coached his team to the NCAA Tournament this spring. Buckner said he and Crutchfield stay in touch.
Name, Image, and Likeness has become an issue, especially in college basketball. Buckner said he thinks NIL is hurting the relationships that players make while in college.
Growing up in Hopkinsville, Buckner said it is important for younger players to find a mentor to guide them as they chase their college and professional dreams.
Buckner said as of now he is under contract to continue to be an assistant coach with the Bucks for next season. But he says eventually he would like to become a head coach in the NBA and possibly get back to the college and high school coaching level later in life.
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