During an interview with NBA insider Shams Charania, Serge Ibaka talked about his split with the Milwaukee Bucks. Ibaka and the Bucks mutually agreed in January to find him a new home via trade as he remained away from the team for “personal reasons.” He was traded to the Indiana Pacers, who then waived the 33-year-old.
Ibaka re-signed with the Bucks in the summer of 2022 knowing he wasn’t going to play as much as he wanted to. The Congo native talked about his situation with former Milwaukee head coach Mike Budenholzer before signing his new contract.
“(Budenholzer) told me to my face. Listen, you’re coming here, I promise you nothing, but you never know, it’s a long season, guys can have injuries, you have to stay ready,” Ibaka said.
Ibaka said things became more “confusing” when his name wasn’t called when other players got hurt and he was instead asked to play “when guys come back from injuries.” The one-time NBA champion said the lack of communication was the biggest issue for him.
“When I go talk to the front office, they tell me different things,” Ibaka said. “They love me. They want me to be there, they want me to stay. And when I go back on the court, it’s different. It got to some point where I cannot take this anymore. I love this game so much, but if this is going to take my peace of mind, my joy, it’s not worth it. I earned my respect in this league. At least communicate. I’m not asking about playing, I’m just asking for communication.”
Ibaka appeared in only 16 games last season for the Bucks. He averaged 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 48.1% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc and 61.5% from the free-throw line. The two-time blocks champion is currently an unrestricted NBA free agent.
Ibaka has career NBA averages of 12.0 points and 7.1 rebounds with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers and Bucks. He won the 2019 championship with the Raptors over the Golden State Warriors in six games.
The Bucks fired Budenholzer as head coach and replaced him with Adrian Griffin. Milwaukee lost to the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs in five games.
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