Former NBA head coach and current ESPN NBA analyst Doc Rivers appears to be preparing to return to the coaching ranks.
Rivers is finalizing the details of a deal to become the next head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, ESPN reported Wednesday.
Adrian Griffin's short tenure with the Bucks came to an abrupt end Tuesday when the first-year head coach was suddenly fired after just 43 games. Griffin's ouster also comes despite the Bucks' 30-13 record and current No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference standings.
Bucks general manager Jon Horst described Griffin's firing as a “difficult decision to make during the season.”
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76ers head coach Doc Rivers reacts during a playoff game against the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center on May 5, 2023 in Philadelphia. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Rivers was most recently the Philadelphia 76ers' top coach, leading the team to three consecutive Eastern Conference semifinal appearances. Rivers and the Sixers parted ways last May, shortly after Philadelphia's last playoff exit.
The 62-year-old also served as head coach of the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics. He won an NBA title with Boston in 2008.
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The Atlanta Hawks selected Rivers in the second round of the 1983 NBA Draft, and he was named to the All-Star team in 1988.
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers appeals to the referees during the Pelicans game in New Orleans on Oct. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
During Tuesday's edition of TNT's “Inside the NBA,” co-host and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal praised Rivers' resume.
“He has championship experience. He has experience dealing with big-name individuals, superstars,” O'Neal said. “For a long time, he's survived that championship, so I'd like to see him get another one.”
Rivers has ties to Milwaukee. He played college basketball at Marquette, where he received All-American honors.
The Bucks won the championship in 2021, but fired coach Mike Budenholzer last May after a first-round playoff exit. The Bucks acquired superstar guard Damian Lillard this offseason, further bolstering the organization's championship expectations.
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Rivers will likely have the opportunity to coach Lillard, two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, All-Star Khris Middleton and other key contributors. But Rivers will have to overcome his recent postseason setbacks, which include 10 losses in the seventh game of his career.
