A source says Doc Rivers has agreed to become head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.
A person who knows about the talks between Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks said that Rivers has accepted their offer to be their next coach.
Adrian Griffin, the Bucks’ first-year head coach, was fired earlier Tuesday after 43 games. The team said they were “working immediately” to hire a new head coach. He had been on the roster since June 2023.
Rivers coached the 76ers in Philadelphia for three years before the team fired him in May of last year after three losses in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
He has won championships before. The president of basketball operations for the Sixers at the time called Rivers “one of the most profitable coaches in NBA history.”
“He has dealt with famous people, superstars, before,” O’Neal said. “That one championship has been enough for him for a long time, so I’d like to have him get another one.”
A CNN interviewee in November, Poppy Harlow, asked Rivers how he starts each coaching season. Rivers said, “I am human, and I’m going to do my best, but I’m going to commit some mistakes here.”
According to Rivers, he learned that a lot of what it takes to be a coach involves being a teacher. With a record of 30-13, the Bucks are in a tie for second-best in the NBA. On Wednesday, they will host the Boston Celtics.
“I made a mistake early on in coaching. I thought you were just a basketball coach. After some thought, he told Harlow, “No, you teach life, and it helps you play better basketball.” For Rivers, to be a champion, “you must open up your heart.”
“You need to step outside. You need to take a chance. Leave your comfort zone. You need to give the team your all. Get over it. He said, “And when you perform that, it all gets back to you.”
The 2021 NBA Champions stunned everyone in the NBA on Tuesday (Jan. 23) when they fired their former head coach, Adrian Griffin.
Griffin had been an assistant coach for over 15 years before becoming a head coach. This was the first year he was coaching the team.
After the Bucks made it to the playoffs but lost in the first round, they fired their head coach, Mike Budenholzer, and hired him in June 2023.
Griffin helped the Bucks finish 30-13, which put them near the top within the Eastern Conference for most of the 2023–2024 season.
Bucks General Manager Jon Horst said that letting Griffin go was a “difficult decision to decide during the season.”
According to The Athletic, Rivers worked as an “informal consultant” to Griffin while Griffin was coaching the Bucks.
This may have given the team’s owners confidence in Griffin’s ability to lead the team. The Bucks team said they were “working immediately” to find someone to fill the role.
Marc Stein, an NBA reporter, said that Giannis Antetokounmpo, the star player for the Milwaukee Bucks, did not want them to select Nick Nurse, a different coach with a history of winning championships when they were looking for a new head coach this past summer. Instead, they chose Adrian Griffin.
Additionally, it’s possible that he helped choose Doc Rivers, as it is common for teams to talk to their head coach.
Rivers brings championship-winning skill to the Bucks. In 2008, he coached the Boston Celtics to victory in the NBA Finals.
His most recent job was with the Philadelphia 76ers, but they never made this past the Eastern Conference semifinals in the three years he was there.
He had been the coach of the Los Angeles Clippers before that. During the 2020–21 season, they made it to the Western Conference Finals.
The Bucks may give him the best chance to coach in the NBA Finals again. They have two-time MVP Antetokounmpo or seven-time All-Star player Damian Lillard, who came to the team in a trade in September 2023.
Griffin built a strong base over the first 43 games, and the All-Star break is coming up soon. Now it’s up to Rivers to keep the good vibes going.