The Miami Heat are not finished surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo with people they believe can help maximize their new superstar.
After spending eight seasons as a Milwaukee Bucks assistant, Vin Baker is joining Erik Spoelstra’s coaching staff in Miami, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported.
A source confirmed the expected addition Friday to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.
Baker, 54, developed a close relationship with Antetokounmpo during their time together in Milwaukee. That bond extends beyond basketball, making Baker’s hiring more meaningful than an ordinary offseason staff addition.
The four-time All-Star will not replace anyone on Miami’s staff, according to Jackson. Chris Quinn, Malik Allen, Caron Butler, Octavio De La Grana, Wayne Ellington and Eric Glass are all expected to return.
Instead, Spoelstra is adding another experienced voice to help manage a team entering the season with championship expectations after acquiring Antetokounmpo.
Vin Baker, Giannis Built Bond in Milwaukee
Getty Former Milwaukee Bucks star Vin Baker attends Nickelodeon’s 13th Annual Worldwide Day Of Play at The Nethermead, Prospect Park on September 17, 2016 in Brooklyn, New York.
Baker joined the Bucks’ coaching staff in 2018 and remained through multiple coaching changes. He was part of Milwaukee’s 2021 championship team, when Antetokounmpo delivered one of the defining postseason runs of his generation.
Their relationship became particularly strong during the 2020 offseason, when Baker reportedly spent two months working with Antetokounmpo in Greece.
The two connected through Baker’s willingness to discuss the struggles that derailed the final years of his playing career. Baker battled alcoholism and depression, eventually losing much of the fortune he earned in the NBA before rebuilding his life through sobriety.
Baker said Antetokounmpo expressed admiration after learning the extent of his recovery.
“He was in awe that I had made it back from what I had gone through,” Baker told LA Times in 2021. “I didn’t even realize he knew the extent of it.”
That relationship gives Antetokounmpo a trusted ally as he adjusts to a new franchise, coaching system and city. It also gives Spoelstra an assistant who already understands how the two-time MVP works and responds to coaching.
Baker’s Unlikely Road Back to NBA
Baker’s path to Miami included more turns than his playing résumé might suggest.
Born in Lake Wales, Florida, Baker was selected eighth overall by Milwaukee in the 1993 NBA draft. He made four consecutive All-Star teams, earned All-NBA third-team honors in 1997 and was selected to the second team in 1998.
The 6-foot-11 forward-center averaged 15 points and 7.4 rebounds during a 13-year career that included stops with the Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers. He last played during the 2005-06 season.
After his career and personal life unraveled, Baker began rebuilding away from the NBA. He worked as a high school assistant coach, managed a Starbucks in Connecticut, served as a Bucks broadcaster and ran basketball operations at a summer camp in Massachusetts.
Milwaukee eventually brought him back as a coach. Eight years and one championship later, he is following Antetokounmpo to Miami.
The Heat did not need another recognizable name on the bench. They needed someone who could strengthen the bridge between Spoelstra and their franchise-changing acquisition.
Baker has already spent years building it.
Heat Add 4-Time NBA All-Star With Close Giannis Antetokounmpo Ties