 Rivers coaching thePhiladelphia 76ers in 2022 | |
| Milwaukee Bucks | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1961-10-13)October 13, 1961 (age 64) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg)[1] |
| Career information | |
| High school | Proviso East (Maywood, Illinois) |
| College | Marquette (1980–1983) |
| NBA draft | 1983: 2nd round, 31st overall pick |
| Drafted by | Atlanta Hawks |
| Playing career | 1983–1996 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 25 |
| Coaching career | 1999–present |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1983–1991 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1991–1992 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1992–1994 | New York Knicks |
| 1994–1996 | San Antonio Spurs |
Coaching | |
| 1999–2003 | Orlando Magic |
| 2004–2013 | Boston Celtics |
| 2013–2020 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2020–2023 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2024–present | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 9,377 (10.9 ppg) |
| Assists | 4,889 (5.7 apg) |
| Steals | 1,563 (1.8 spg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Medals | |
Glenn Anton "Doc"Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professionalbasketball coach and former player who is the head coach of theMilwaukee Bucks of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). An NBA player for 14 seasons, he was anNBA All-Star and was named one of the15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History.
Rivers playedcollege basketball for theMarquette Golden Eagles and was selected by theAtlanta Hawks in the second round of the1983 NBA draft. He playedpoint guard for the Hawks from 1983 to 1991 and was later a member of theLos Angeles Clippers,New York Knicks, andSan Antonio Spurs. Rivers was an All-Star with the Hawks in1988.
After retiring as a player in 1996, Rivers called games for theNBA on TNT. Rivers began his NBA coaching career in 1999. He was the head coach of theOrlando Magic from 1999 to 2003, theBoston Celtics from 2004 to 2013, theLos Angeles Clippers from 2013 to 2020, and thePhiladelphia 76ers from 2020 to 2023. Rivers was named the 2000NBA Coach of the Year in his first season with the Magic and won anNBA championship with the Celtics in2008. He was also an analyst forESPN.
Rivers was aMcDonald's All-American forProviso East High School in theChicago metropolitan area.[2] He was given his nickname while attending asummer basketball camp atMarquette University while wearing a "Dr. J" t-shirt ofPhiladelphia 76ers playerJulius Erving.[3] Rivers has alternated on whether the nickname originated fromGolden Eagles head coachAl McGuire or assistantRick Majerus.[4][5][6]
Rivers later played college ball for Marquette. After his third season at Marquette, Rivers was drafted in the second round (31st overall)[7] of the1983 NBA draft by theAtlanta Hawks. He graduated from Marquette by completing course work while he was an active NBA player.
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After three seasons at Marquette, Rivers entered the NBA draft and was a second-round choice of the Atlanta Hawks. Rivers played point guard for the Atlanta Hawks from 1983 to 1991,[8] assisting starDominique Wilkins as the team found great regular season success.[citation needed] Rivers' first NBA start was againstJulius Erving (Dr. J), who referred to Rivers as "Doc" and "made [him] feel like a million bucks".[9]
On March 4, 1986, Rivers recorded a career-high 21 assists in a game against thePhiladelphia 76ers.[10] He averaged adouble-double for the1986–87 season with 12.8 points and 10.0 assists per game.[11] In 1988, Rivers played in theNBA All-Star Game.[12] He received theJ. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1990.[13] After eight seasons with the Hawks, Rivers remains their all-time leader in assists with 3,866.
Rivers later spent one year as a starter for theLos Angeles Clippers (1991–1992), two years playing for theNew York Knicks (1992–1994), and two years playing for theSan Antonio Spurs (1994–1996). Rivers retired after the 1996 season. During his professional career, Rivers would go on to play 864 regular-season games in which he averaged 10.9 points, 5.7 assists, and 3 rebounds per game.[14]
Rivers played for theUnited States national team during the1982 FIBA World Championship inColombia. He was named thetournaments MVP after leading the United States to the gold medal game where they lost against theSoviet Union, 94–95, after Rivers' eight-foot jumper at the buzzer rimmed out.[15][16]
Rivers began his coaching career with theOrlando Magic in 1999,[17] where he coached for more than fourNBA seasons.[18] Rivers won theCoach of the Year award in2000 after his first year with the Magic.[19] Despite having been picked to finish last in that year's standings, Rivers led the Magic close to a playoff berth.
During the Magic's free agency spending spree in the summer of 2000, Rivers tried to assemble a "Big Three" team in the NBA. The Magic were courting free agentTim Duncan, who came close to signing with the Magic and teaming up with fellow starsGrant Hill andTracy McGrady. However, Duncan re-signed with the San Antonio Spurs due to Rivers' strict policy of family members not being allowed to travel on the team's plane.[20]
The Magic made the postseason in Rivers's next three years as head coach, but he was fired in 2003 after a 1–10 start to the season.[18]
After spending a year working as a commentator for theNBA on ABC (calling the2004 Finals withAl Michaels), he was hired by theBoston Celtics as their head coach in 2004. During his first years with the Celtics, he was criticized by many in the media for his coaching style, most vociferously byBill Simmons, who in 2006 publicly called for Rivers to be fired in his columns.
As a result of the Celtics' 109–93 victory over theNew York Knicks on January 21, 2008, Rivers, as the coach of the team with the best winning percentage in theEastern Conference, earned the honor to coach the East for the2008 NBA All-Star Game inNew Orleans.[21]
On June 17, 2008, Rivers won his first and soleNBA Championship as a head coach after defeating theLos Angeles Lakers in six games.[22] The Celtics needed an NBA record 26 postseason games to win it. Rivers played for the team that held the previous record for most games played in a single postseason when the New York Knicks played in 25 postseason games during 1994.
Rivers led the Celtics to the2010 NBA Finals, where they once again faced the Los Angeles Lakers, this time losing the series in seven games. After deliberating between staying on the job or returning to Orlando in order to spend more time with his family, Rivers finally decided that he would honor the last year of his contract and return for the 2010–11 season.[23]
On May 13, 2011, after months of rumors that he would retire, ESPN reported that the Celtics and Rivers had agreed upon a 5-year contract extension worth $35 million.[24][25] On February 6, 2013, Rivers notched his 400th win with the Celtics in a 99–95 victory over theToronto Raptors.[26]
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On June 25, 2013, theLos Angeles Clippers acquired Rivers from the Celtics for an unprotected 2015 NBA first-round draft pick. He also became the senior vice president of basketball operations on the team.[27] In his first season as their head coach, Rivers led the Clippers to a franchise-record 57 wins, garnering the 3rd seed in the Western conference. The2014 NBA playoffs first round playoff series against theGolden State Warriors was marred whenTMZ released an audiotape containing racially insensitive remarks made by the then-Clippers ownerDonald Sterling. Though there was a possibility of the Clippers boycotting the series, they instead played on, instead holding a silent protest by leaving their shooting jerseys at center court and obscuring the Clippers logo on their warm-up shirts. Rivers himself stated that he would not return to the Clippers if Sterling remained as owner the following season. NBA commissionerAdam Silver responded to the controversy by banning Sterling from the NBA for life and compelling him to sell the team. The team was sold toMicrosoft CEOSteve Ballmer for $2 billion on August 12, 2014, and Rivers remained with the Clippers.[28]
On June 16, 2014, the Clippers promoted Rivers to president of basketball operations in conjunction with his continuing head coaching duties. AlthoughDave Wohl was hired as general manager, Rivers had the final say in basketball matters.[29] On August 27, 2014, he signed a new five-year contract with the Clippers.[30]
On January 16, 2015, Rivers became the first NBA coach to coach his own son,Austin Rivers,[31] until June 26, 2018, when Austin Rivers was traded to theWashington Wizards forMarcin Gortat.
On August 4, 2017, Rivers gave up his post as president of basketball operations. However, he continued to split responsibility for basketball matters with executive vice president of basketball operationsLawrence Frank.[32] On May 23, 2018, Rivers and the Clippers agreed to a contract extension.[33]
On May 31, 2019, Rivers made comments onKawhi Leonard during an appearance on ESPN, stating that "He is the most like Jordan that we've seen", while Leonard was still under contract to theToronto Raptors.[34] The Clippers were fined $50,000 due to Rivers' comments in violation of the league's anti-tampering rule.[35] The Clippers signed Leonard to a three-year contract on July 10, 2019.[36]
In the2019–20 season, Rivers earned his 900th win as a head coach after the Clippers won at home against thePortland Trail Blazers on November 8, 2019.[37] In the Western Conference semifinals, the Clippers jumped to a 3 games to 1 lead before losing the last three of the best-of-seven series to theDenver Nuggets. Rivers became the first coach in NBA history to have three teams fail to advance from a best-of-seven series after taking a 3 games to 1 lead.[38] He had previously been the only coach in NBA history whose teams had twice failed to advance from a best of seven series after taking a 3–1 lead.[38]
On September 28, 2020, Rivers stepped down following the Clippers' defeat to theDenver Nuggets in theconference semifinals. His record through seven seasons with the team was 356–208, but he was ultimately unable to lead the Clippers to their first conference finals appearance in franchise history.[39]
On October 3, 2020, thePhiladelphia 76ers announced that they had hired Rivers as their head coach.[40] The 76ers won their first two games of the 2020–21 season, which earned Rivers his 945th career win, passing Hall of FamerBill Fitch for 10th on the all-time coaching regular season wins list.[41] The 76ers went on to secure the first seed in the Eastern Conference,[42] and defeated theWashington Wizards in five games in the first round of the playoffs,[43] but lost in the semifinals to theAtlanta Hawks in seven games.[44] On May 14, 2023, the 76ers lost the conference semifinals series to the Celtics;[45] two days later, Rivers was fired, ending his three-year tenure as head coach of the 76ers.[46][47]
Beginning in December 2023, Rivers began serving as an informal consultant toMilwaukee Bucks first-year coachAdrian Griffin at the team's request.[48] On January 26, 2024, after firing Griffin after 43 games,[48] the Bucks announced that Rivers was hired as their head coach.[49] Rivers' first game as the Bucks' head coach was a loss to thereigning championDenver Nuggets on January 29, 2024.[50]
On December 17, 2024, under the leadership of head coach Doc Rivers, the Milwaukee Bucks won theNBA Cup final against theOklahoma City Thunder with a score of 97–81. This victory marked the Bucks as the second champions of this mid-season tournament, which was held inLas Vegas.Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered an impressive performance, recording a triple-double with 26 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists, earning him the title of Most Valuable Player for the event.Damian Lillard contributed significantly to the win with 23 points. The Bucks' triumph represented a turnaround in their season, as they had secured victories in 13 of their last 16 games during this period after a slow start.[51]
Following his retirement as a player, Rivers called games for theNBA on TNT before joining the Orlando Magic as head coach in 1999. With TNT Rivers was normally paired withVerne Lundquist and later withKevin Harlan.[52]
After being fired by the Orlando Magic in 2003, Rivers joinedESPN/ABC's NBA coverage, calling regular season games and the2004 NBA Finals. Rivers worked on the top broadcast team withBrad Nessler on ESPN andAl Michaels on ABC. After the Finals, he left the broadcast booth to become the head coach of the Boston Celtics. In the summer of 2023, he was added to the lead broadcasting team for ESPN/ABC, joiningMike Breen andDoris Burke.[53][54][55] During thesemifinals of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament, Rivers worked with TNT commentators Kevin Harlan andCandace Parker during one game, as part of a collaboration between ESPN/ABC and TNT.[56][57] In January 2024, Rivers left ESPN mid-season to become Milwaukee's head coach.[48]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983–84 | Atlanta | 81 | 47 | 23.9 | .462 | .167 | .785 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 1.6 | .4 | 9.3 |
| 1984–85 | Atlanta | 69 | 58 | 30.8 | .476 | .417 | .770 | 3.1 | 5.9 | 2.4 | .8 | 14.1 |
| 1985–86 | Atlanta | 53 | 50 | 29.6 | .474 | .000 | .608 | 3.1 | 8.4 | 2.3 | .2 | 11.5 |
| 1986–87 | Atlanta | 82 | 82 | 31.6 | .451 | .190 | .828 | 3.6 | 10.0 | 2.1 | .4 | 12.8 |
| 1987–88 | Atlanta | 80 | 80 | 31.3 | .453 | .273 | .758 | 4.6 | 9.3 | 1.8 | .5 | 14.2 |
| 1988–89 | Atlanta | 76 | 76 | 32.4 | .455 | .347 | .861 | 3.8 | 6.9 | 2.4 | .5 | 13.6 |
| 1989–90 | Atlanta | 48 | 44 | 31.8 | .454 | .364 | .812 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 2.4 | .5 | 12.5 |
| 1990–91 | Atlanta | 79 | 79 | 32.7 | .435 | .336 | .844 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 1.9 | .6 | 15.2 |
| 1991–92 | L.A. Clippers | 59 | 25 | 28.1 | .424 | .283 | .832 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 1.9 | .3 | 10.9 |
| 1992–93 | New York | 77 | 45 | 24.5 | .437 | .317 | .821 | 2.5 | 5.3 | 1.6 | .1 | 7.8 |
| 1993–94 | New York | 19 | 19 | 26.3 | .433 | .365 | .636 | 2.1 | 5.3 | 1.3 | .3 | 7.5 |
| 1994–95 | New York | 3 | 0 | 15.7 | .308 | .600 | .727 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 1.3 | .0 | 6.3 |
| 1994–95 | San Antonio | 60 | 0 | 15.7 | .360 | .344 | .732 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 1.0 | .4 | 5.0 |
| 1995–96 | San Antonio | 78 | 0 | 15.8 | .372 | .343 | .750 | 1.8 | 1.6 | .9 | .3 | 4.0 |
| Career | 864 | 605 | 27.3 | .444 | .328 | .784 | 3.0 | 5.7 | 1.8 | .4 | 10.9 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 16.0 | .500 | — | .455 | 3.0 | 6.0 | — | — | 9.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Atlanta | 5 | — | 26.0 | .500 | .000 | .878 | 2.0 | 3.2 | 2.4 | .8 | 13.6 |
| 1986 | Atlanta | 9 | 9 | 29.1 | .435 | .500 | .738 | 4.7 | 8.7 | 2.0 | .0 | 12.7 |
| 1987 | Atlanta | 8 | 8 | 30.6 | .383 | — | .500 | 3.4 | 11.3 | 1.1 | .4 | 7.8 |
| 1988 | Atlanta | 12 | 12 | 34.1 | .511 | .318 | .907 | 4.9 | 9.6 | 2.1 | .2 | 15.7 |
| 1989 | Atlanta | 5 | 5 | 38.2 | .386 | .316 | .708 | 4.8 | 6.8 | 1.4 | .4 | 13.4 |
| 1991 | Atlanta | 5 | 5 | 34.6 | .469 | .091 | .895 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .4 | 15.6 |
| 1992 | L.A. Clippers | 5 | 4 | 37.4 | .446 | .500 | .815 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 1.2 | .0 | 15.2 |
| 1993 | New York | 15 | 15 | 30.5 | .453 | .355 | .767 | 2.6 | 5.7 | 1.9 | .1 | 10.2 |
| 1995 | San Antonio | 15 | 0 | 21.2 | .389 | .370 | .839 | 1.9 | 1.6 | .9 | .6 | 7.8 |
| 1996 | San Antonio | 2 | 0 | 10.0 | .333 | .500 | — | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.5 |
| Career | 81 | 58 | 29.5 | .446 | .338 | .767 | 3.3 | 5.9 | 1.5 | .3 | 11.4 | |
| * | Record |
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | 1999–00 | 82 | 41 | 41 | .500 | 4th inAtlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Orlando | 2000–01 | 82 | 43 | 39 | .524 | 4th in Atlantic | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | Lost infirst round |
| Orlando | 2001–02 | 82 | 44 | 38 | .537 | 3rd in Atlantic | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | Lost infirst round |
| Orlando | 2002–03 | 82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 4th in Atlantic | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost infirst round |
| Orlando | 2003–04 | 11 | 1 | 10 | .091 | (fired) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Boston | 2004–05 | 82 | 45 | 37 | .549 | 1st in Atlantic | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost infirst round |
| Boston | 2005–06 | 82 | 33 | 49 | .402 | 3rd in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Boston | 2006–07 | 82 | 24 | 58 | .293 | 5th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Boston | 2007–08 | 82 | 66 | 16 | .805 | 1st in Atlantic | 26* | 16 | 10 | .615 | WonNBA championship |
| Boston | 2008–09 | 82 | 62 | 20 | .756 | 1st in Atlantic | 14 | 7 | 7 | .500 | Lost inconference semifinals |
| Boston | 2009–10 | 82 | 50 | 32 | .610 | 1st in Atlantic | 24 | 15 | 9 | .625 | Lost inNBA Finals |
| Boston | 2010–11 | 82 | 56 | 26 | .683 | 1st in Atlantic | 9 | 5 | 4 | .556 | Lost inconference semifinals |
| Boston | 2011–12 | 66 | 39 | 27 | .591 | 1st in Atlantic | 20 | 11 | 9 | .550 | Lost inconference finals |
| Boston | 2012–13 | 81 | 41 | 40 | .506 | 3rd in Atlantic | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost infirst round |
| L.A. Clippers | 2013–14 | 82 | 57 | 25 | .695 | 1st inPacific | 13 | 6 | 7 | .462 | Lost inconference semifinals |
| L.A. Clippers | 2014–15 | 82 | 56 | 26 | .683 | 2nd in Pacific | 14 | 7 | 7 | .500 | Lost inconference semifinals |
| L.A. Clippers | 2015–16 | 82 | 53 | 29 | .646 | 2nd in Pacific | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost infirst round |
| L.A. Clippers | 2016–17 | 82 | 51 | 31 | .622 | 2nd in Pacific | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost infirst round |
| L.A. Clippers | 2017–18 | 82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 2nd in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| L.A. Clippers | 2018–19 | 82 | 48 | 34 | .585 | 2nd in Pacific | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost infirst round |
| L.A. Clippers | 2019–20 | 72 | 49 | 23 | .681 | 2nd in Pacific | 13 | 7 | 6 | .538 | Lost inconference semifinals |
| Philadelphia | 2020–21 | 72 | 49 | 23 | .681 | 1st in Atlantic | 12 | 7 | 5 | .583 | Lost inconference semifinals |
| Philadelphia | 2021–22 | 82 | 51 | 31 | .622 | 2nd in Atlantic | 12 | 6 | 6 | .500 | Lost inconference semifinals |
| Philadelphia | 2022–23 | 82 | 54 | 28 | .659 | 2nd in Atlantic | 11 | 7 | 4 | .636 | Lost inconference semifinals |
| Milwaukee | 2023–24 | 36 | 17 | 19 | .472 | 1st inCentral | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost infirst round |
| Milwaukee | 2024–25 | 82 | 48 | 34 | .585 | 3rd in Central | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost infirst round |
| Career | 1,978 | 1,162 | 816 | .587 | 226 | 114 | 112 | .504 | |||
Rivers is the nephew of former NBA playerJim Brewer.[7]
Rivers married wife Kristen in 1986, with whom he had four children, three sons and one daughter. Their oldest son,Jeremiah, played basketball atGeorgetown University andIndiana University,[58] and has played in theNBA D-League for theMaine Red Claws. His daughter Callie playedvolleyball for theUniversity of Florida[59] and is married to NBA playerSeth Curry.[60][61] Rivers's sonAustin is an NBA player who last played for theMinnesota Timberwolves in 2023.[62] His youngest son, Spencer, is a guard who played forWinter Park High School and forUC Irvine.[63] Rivers and Kristen divorced in 2019.[64]
Rivers became good friends withMajor League Baseball (MLB)Hall of Fame pitcherJohn Smoltz of theAtlanta Braves during Rivers's tenure with the Atlanta Hawks. In 2009, Rivers was credited with helping lure Smoltz into signing with theBoston Red Sox while Rivers was the head coach of the Boston Celtics.[65]
Rivers is featured in a Netflix documentary series, "The Playbook". In the first episode, Rivers details his experiences with family, the Celtics championship run and the Donald Sterling situation.
Rivers is a cousin of former NBA guardByron Irvin and former MLB outfielderKen Singleton.[66]
Rivers hasattention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[67]
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