When the Phoenix Suns created their Big 3 of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, it was thought that the Suns would reach new heights.
Unfortunately, due to injuries and inconsistency, the three would fail to win a playoff game in the two years of the Booker, Durant and Beal era.
Under coach Frank Vogel, the Suns went 49-33, but were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
In 2024-25, Mike Budenholzer and the Suns missed the playoffs with a 36-46 record, ending a disappointing season.
Budenholzer was fired after the season. But, according to a former Suns player, there are still some skeletons in his closet.
According to former Suns starting center Jusuf Nurkic on the X’s and O’s Chat and PHNX Suns, Budenholzer was an “alcohol addict” while coaching Phoenix.
What Did Former Phoenix Suns Center Jusuf Nurkic Say?
While on the podcast, Nurkic spoke about many things during his Suns tenure.
But while talking about the Suns, Nurkic let out the most surprising thing in the podcast.
“The whole system felt so absurd,” Nurkic said on the podcast. “The situation we were in, the environment we were in. And then we find out — I don’t even know if I should say this — but the guy was an alcohol addict. He was really having a problem with it.”
Not only did Budenholzer have a drinking problem, according to the former Suns center, but he also chastised his players unnecessarily, per Nurkic.
“He would schedule one-on-one meetings,” Nurkic said. “Just to provoke people.”
While nobody else from that team has said anything about this yet, it’s a shocking statement by Nurkic.
The Suns started the 2024-25 season hot with a 9-2 record before falling down the stretch. Budenholzer was replaced by new head coach Jordan Ott.
What Else Did Nurkic Say?
Before Nurkic made the claims of Budenholzer’s “alcoholism”, the former Suns center said that he would try to tell Durant how to score.
“Explaining to Kevin Durant how to score,” Nurkic asked. “That’s like explaining to a pilot how to fly a plane.”
Durant is one of the most prolific scorers of his era, and of all-time, with 32,597 career points. That is fifth all-time behind Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James.
Durant has averaged 27.1 points over 18 NBA seasons and averaged 26.8 points in 145 games with Phoenix.
Nurkic averaged 10.3 points and 10.6 rebounds as a Sun in 101 games, after he was acquired in the Deandre Ayton trade.
With Ott at the helm, the Suns leaped into the playoffs in just one year after Budenholzer. Expected to be at the bottom of the Western Conference, the Suns finished 45-37 in the 2025-26 season.
While they were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs and possess little future draft capital, the Suns’ future looks bright under Ott.
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