The woman publicly identified as Mike Budenholzer’s wife during the early part of his NBA head-coaching career was Mary Beth Budenholzer. An official San Antonio Spurs announcement in 2013 said Budenholzer and his wife Mary Beth had four children, while the NBA Coaches Association later listed those children by name. More recent reporting shows that Budenholzer referred to Lisa as his partner during his May 2024 Phoenix Suns introduction, so older biographies describing Mary Beth as his current wife should be understood as historical information.
Mike Budenholzer Ex Wife: The Story Behind the Search
Searches for Mike Budenholzer ex wife often lead to conflicting information because Budenholzer’s family circumstances have changed over the course of his long basketball career.
During the period when he moved from Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs staff into his first NBA head-coaching position with the Atlanta Hawks, Budenholzer was publicly identified as married to Mary Beth Budenholzer.
The Atlanta appointment was officially announced by the Spurs in May 2013. That announcement described Budenholzer as a Holbrook, Arizona, native who was married to Mary Beth and had four children: Will, Libby, Hanna and John.
More than a decade later, Budenholzer gave the public a different glimpse into his family life.
At his Phoenix Suns introductory press conference in May 2024, he spoke emotionally about his four children and identified Lisa as his partner. He also said the previous year away from NBA coaching had allowed him to spend significant time with his family.
That timeline is the key to understanding why information about Mike Budenholzer ex wife can appear inconsistent online.
Who Was Mary Beth Budenholzer?
Mary Beth Budenholzer was publicly identified as Mike Budenholzer’s wife in official team material during the early years of his head-coaching career.
The most useful primary source is the San Antonio Spurs announcement from May 28, 2013, when the organization announced that Budenholzer would become the Atlanta Hawks’ head coach.
The biography included family information and specifically stated that Budenholzer and his wife Mary Beth had four children.
That makes Mary Beth’s identity as his wife during that period well documented.
Beyond that, however, relatively little verified information is available about her private life.
She did not become a prominent public figure in her own right, and Budenholzer generally kept his family away from the center of his professional publicity.
As a result, readers should be cautious with online biography pages that provide detailed claims about Mary Beth’s career, personal background or later life without citing an authoritative source.
Mike and Mary Beth Had Four Children
The family information surrounding Budenholzer is much better documented than the private details of his marriage.
The NBA Coaches Association biography lists four children:
- William Vincent Budenholzer
- Savoia Elizabeth Budenholzer
- Hanna Louise Budenholzer
- John Brent Budenholzer
The organization’s biography identifies the four children while describing Budenholzer’s coaching career.
The 2013 Spurs announcement used shorter names — Will, Libby, Hanna and John — when introducing Budenholzer as Atlanta’s new coach.
This is an important distinction when researching the family.
The names of the four children are supported by NBA-related sources, while many other details circulating online about the family are considerably less well documented.
The Marriage Was Part of Budenholzer’s Early NBA Story
When Budenholzer became Atlanta’s head coach in 2013, he was entering a major new phase of his career.
Before that promotion, he had spent many years with the San Antonio Spurs.
He joined San Antonio in the 1990s and ultimately became one of Gregg Popovich’s most trusted assistants. The Spurs’ 2013 announcement noted that Budenholzer had spent 19 seasons with the organization, including 17 seasons as an assistant coach.
His move to Atlanta represented his transition from longtime assistant to NBA head coach.
At the time, his marriage and four children were included as part of his official biography.
That is why many older articles and profiles continue to associate Mary Beth with Budenholzer.
But a historical description of a marriage should not automatically be interpreted as a statement about someone’s current relationship status.
What Happened to the Marriage?
This is where the public record becomes much thinner.
Various secondary websites describe Mary Beth as Budenholzer’s former wife and commonly place the end of the marriage around the late 2010s.
However, the authoritative NBA and team sources reviewed for this article do not provide a detailed public timeline of the divorce.
They also do not establish a publicly documented reason for the marriage ending.
For that reason, it would be inappropriate to state an exact divorce date or private reason as an established fact without stronger documentation.
The safest factual description is:
Mary Beth was Mike Budenholzer’s wife during the earlier part of his NBA coaching career, and later public reporting treats her as his former wife.
The specific circumstances and timing of the separation have not been extensively documented by the major official sources reviewed here.
Why the Divorce Details Are Difficult to Verify
The lack of detailed information is partly a consequence of Budenholzer’s approach to his private life.
His public career has been extensively documented.
His coaching records, championships, awards and team appointments are easy to verify through NBA and team sources.
His family relationships are different.
There are relatively few official statements about his marriage, and neither Budenholzer nor his former wife has publicly provided a detailed narrative of the relationship in the sources reviewed.
That means the internet contains a mixture of:
- Official historical biographies
- Contemporary sports reporting
- Later biographical summaries
- Unverified claims repeated between websites
Those categories should not be treated as equally reliable.
For a subject such as Mike Budenholzer ex wife, the strongest evidence is the information directly published by NBA organizations and comments made by Budenholzer himself.
A 2015 Incident Shows How Private the Family Was
There was one notable period when Budenholzer’s wife became part of mainstream sports reporting.
In 2015, while he was coaching the Atlanta Hawks, Budenholzer briefly stepped away from the team because of an emergency involving his wife.
Contemporary reporting said the medical situation was not publicly disclosed.
That episode demonstrated the boundary Budenholzer and his family maintained around personal matters.
The situation was important enough to affect his professional responsibilities, but specific private details were not released publicly.
It is therefore important not to add a diagnosis or other personal information that was never officially disclosed.
Budenholzer’s Family Became More Visible in 2024
The clearest modern insight into Budenholzer’s family life came during his introduction as Phoenix Suns head coach.
The Suns hired Budenholzer in May 2024, bringing the Arizona native back to his home state.
At the May 17 introductory press conference, the conversation quickly became personal.
Budenholzer spoke about his four children and said that his family had two graduations that week.
He then thanked his partner, Lisa, who was present at the event.
Budenholzer described Lisa as having been a “game-changer” in his life, according to reporting from the Deseret News.
That comment is particularly relevant to readers searching for his relationship history because it provides a direct, contemporary description from Budenholzer himself.
It also demonstrates why older biographies need to be dated.
Who Is Lisa?
Budenholzer publicly identified Lisa as his partner during the 2024 Suns introduction.
That is the strongest current relationship information available from the sources reviewed for this article.
Beyond that, there is limited authoritative information about her personal background.
There is no need to fill those gaps with speculation.
Budenholzer’s own comments establish that Lisa was his partner in May 2024 and that she was present when he was introduced as Phoenix’s coach.
That is more reliable than unsourced social-media or biography claims about her.
Budenholzer’s Year Away From Coaching Was Important to His Family
Another interesting part of the 2024 press conference was Budenholzer’s description of the year he spent away from NBA coaching.
The Milwaukee Bucks dismissed him in 2023 after five seasons with the organization.
He did not coach during the 2023-24 NBA season.
Instead, he said he focused heavily on his children and family.
Budenholzer talked about attending his son’s high school games and described the additional family time as a gift.
That period offers useful context for understanding his public comments about family.
Rather than simply being a passing mention at a press conference, family had become a significant part of how he described his year away from basketball.
His Four Children Remained Important as His Career Changed
Budenholzer’s career has taken him through several major NBA organizations.
He was an assistant with the Spurs for many years, became Atlanta’s head coach in 2013, moved to Milwaukee in 2018 and won the NBA championship with the Bucks in 2021.
He later spent a season away from coaching before joining Phoenix in 2024.
Throughout those changes, his four children remained part of his public biographical information.
The NBA Coaches Association continues to list William Vincent, Savoia Elizabeth, Hanna Louise and John Brent in his biography.
The family connection also helps explain Budenholzer’s comments in Phoenix, where he emphasized how much he valued the time he had recently spent with his children.
Mike Budenholzer’s Career Adds Context to His Personal Story
Although the focus of this article is his former marriage, understanding Budenholzer’s career explains why his family life attracts interest.
He became an NBA head coach relatively late compared with some of his peers after spending many years as an assistant.
His first head-coaching opportunity came with Atlanta in 2013.
He guided the Hawks to a franchise-record 60 wins during the 2014-15 season and received his first NBA Coach of the Year award.
Budenholzer and Atlanta mutually agreed to part ways in April 2018.
He then became head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The biggest achievement of his coaching career came in 2021, when he led Milwaukee to the NBA championship.
The Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals that year.
That detail became an interesting part of the story when Phoenix eventually hired him in 2024.
His Phoenix Suns Chapter Is Now Over
Budenholzer’s Phoenix tenure lasted only one season.
The Suns hired him in May 2024 after parting ways with Frank Vogel.
But on April 14, 2025, Phoenix announced that it had relieved Budenholzer of his coaching duties.
The Suns finished the 2024-25 regular season 36-46 and failed to qualify for the postseason.
This matters when reading current articles about Budenholzer because some older biographies still identify him as the Suns head coach.
That information is now outdated.
What Is Actually Known About Mike Budenholzer’s Ex Wife?
When all available information is separated into verified facts and less-certain claims, the picture is relatively straightforward.
Confirmed by official or authoritative sources
- Mike Budenholzer was married to Mary Beth during the earlier part of his NBA coaching career.
- The couple had four children.
- His four children are identified in NBA Coaches Association material.
- Mary Beth was identified as his wife when Budenholzer became Atlanta’s head coach in 2013.
- Budenholzer later publicly referred to Lisa as his partner in May 2024.
Information that should be treated cautiously
- An exact date for the divorce.
- The precise legal circumstances of the separation.
- The reason the marriage ended.
- Detailed claims about Mary Beth’s current private life.
- Unverified claims about Budenholzer’s relationships that are not supported by direct sources.
This distinction is especially important because relationship stories can quickly become dominated by copied biographical information.
Why Readers Should Be Careful With “Ex Wife” Search Results
The phrase Mike Budenholzer ex wife suggests that there should be a detailed public divorce story.
The available evidence does not support that assumption.
There is strong documentation that Mary Beth was his wife during his earlier coaching career.
There is also direct evidence that Budenholzer described Lisa as his partner in 2024.
But there is much less reliable public information about exactly when the earlier marriage ended and why.
That means the most responsible article should not manufacture a dramatic divorce narrative simply because it may attract searches.
Instead, the useful answer is the timeline.
Mike Budenholzer Relationship Timeline
Here is the clearest way to understand the publicly documented information:
2013: The San Antonio Spurs announced Budenholzer as Atlanta’s new head coach and identified his wife as Mary Beth. The announcement also mentioned their four children.
2015: Contemporary reporting mentioned Budenholzer’s wife in connection with a private medical emergency, but details were not publicly disclosed.
2018: Budenholzer and the Atlanta Hawks mutually agreed to part ways after five seasons. This was a professional development, not a confirmed divorce date.
2023: Milwaukee dismissed Budenholzer after five seasons. He spent the following NBA season away from coaching.
May 2024: Phoenix hired Budenholzer as head coach.
May 17, 2024: Budenholzer publicly thanked his four children and referred to Lisa as his partner during his Suns introductory press conference.
April 2025: Phoenix relieved Budenholzer of his coaching duties after one season.
This timeline separates his professional milestones from the limited publicly available relationship information.
What Happens Next for Mike Budenholzer?
The latest confirmed professional development is his departure from the Phoenix Suns in April 2025.
Phoenix stated that it had relieved him of his duties after the team failed to meet its expectations during the 2024-25 season.
His future coaching plans are not established by the sources reviewed here.
Likewise, his current personal life should not be inferred from old biographies.
For relationship information, the latest direct public statement located in this research is Budenholzer’s May 2024 reference to Lisa as his partner.
Bottom Line
The most reliable answer to “Who is Mike Budenholzer’s ex wife?” is Mary Beth Budenholzer, who was publicly identified as his wife during his early NBA head-coaching years.
An official Spurs announcement from 2013 documented the marriage and stated that the couple had four children. The NBA Coaches Association later provided the children’s full names.
Public information about the end of that marriage is much less detailed. Claims about a precise divorce date or the reason for the separation should therefore not be presented as confirmed without stronger evidence.
The most significant later development came in May 2024, when Budenholzer introduced his family at his Phoenix Suns press conference and referred to Lisa as his partner.
For readers researching his personal history, the key is to distinguish older biographical information about Mary Beth from Budenholzer’s more recent public comments.
FAQs
Who is Mike Budenholzer’s ex wife?
Mike Budenholzer’s former wife is publicly identified as Mary Beth Budenholzer. The San Antonio Spurs identified Mary Beth as his wife when Budenholzer became Atlanta’s head coach in 2013.
How many children does Mike Budenholzer have?
Budenholzer has four children: William Vincent, Savoia Elizabeth, Hanna Louise and John Brent. These names are listed by the NBA Coaches Association.
Did Mike Budenholzer and Mary Beth divorce?
Later biographical reporting identifies Mary Beth as Budenholzer’s former wife, but detailed authoritative public documentation establishing the exact date and circumstances of the divorce is limited.
Why did Mike Budenholzer and Mary Beth separate?
A reliable public source reviewed for this article does not establish the reason for the reported end of their marriage. Claims about a specific reason should therefore be treated as unverified unless supported by direct evidence.
Who is Mike Budenholzer’s partner?
Budenholzer referred to Lisa as his partner during his Phoenix Suns introductory press conference on May 17, 2024. He thanked her publicly and described her as having been a major positive influence in his life.
Did Mike Budenholzer talk about his children in 2024?
Yes. During his May 2024 Suns introduction, Budenholzer spoke emotionally about his four children and said that spending time with them during his year away from NBA coaching had been especially meaningful.
Is Mike Budenholzer still the Phoenix Suns coach?
No. The Phoenix Suns relieved Budenholzer of his coaching duties on April 14, 2025, after one season. The team finished 36-46 in the 2024-25 regular season.
What is the latest reliable information about Mike Budenholzer’s family?
The most direct recent information located is from his May 2024 Suns introduction, when he spoke about his four children and identified Lisa as his partner. Detailed information about his private family life remains limited.