Doc Rivers exits Bucks

Doc Rivers is leaving as Milwaukee Bucks coach after Milwaukee closed the 2025-26 season at 32-50 and out of the playoffs. (espn.com) The split was reported Sunday, April 12, hours after Milwaukee lost 126-106 to the Philadelphia 76ers in its season finale. ESPN reported the Bucks and Rivers were also discussing whether he could move into an advisory role. (usatoday.com) (espn.com) Milwaukee now heads into its third coaching search in three years. Adrian Griffin was fired on January 23, 2024, after a 30-13 start, and Rivers was hired three days later on January 26, 2024. (espn.com) (nba.com) Rivers never got the Bucks back to the level they expected after winning the 2021 National Basketball Association title under Mike Budenholzer. He finished 17-19 after taking over midseason in 2023-24, then went 48-34 in 2024-25 before Milwaukee lost 4-1 to Indiana in the first round. (espn.com) (basketball-reference.com) This season collapsed further as injuries and roster turnover hit the team. ESPN reported Giannis Antetokounmpo was healthy for 36 games in 2025-26, and Milwaukee had already used the waive-and-stretch provision on Damian Lillard in July 2025. (espn.com) (sports.yahoo.com) The final standings showed how far Milwaukee had fallen. The Bucks finished 11th in the Eastern Conference, ending a nine-season playoff streak. (cbssports.com) (msn.com) Rivers leaves with one season left on his original contract, according to ESPN. Fox 6 Milwaukee reported the Bucks will still owe him an eight-figure salary for 2026-27 while they search for the next coach. (espn.com) (fox6now.com) For Rivers, the exit adds another stop to a long coaching résumé that includes the 2008 title with Boston and a place near the top of the league’s career wins lists. For Milwaukee, it opens another summer shaped by the same question that drove the Griffin firing in 2024: how much time is left to build a contender around Antetokounmpo. (basketball-reference.com) (espn.com)