Doc Rivers steps down

Doc Rivers is out as Milwaukee Bucks coach after Milwaukee finished 32-50 and missed both the National Basketball Association playoffs and the Play-In Tournament. (espn.com) The move came Sunday, April 12, minutes after Milwaukee closed its season with a 126-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. ESPN reported that Rivers and the Bucks were also discussing whether he could shift into an advisory role. (usatoday.com, espn.com) Milwaukee ended 11th in the Eastern Conference at 32-50, ahead of only Chicago and Indiana in the Central Division. The Bucks had gone 48-34 in 2024-25, making this their first losing season since before Giannis Antetokounmpo’s title run years. (espn.com, nba.com) The timing leaves Milwaukee out of the postseason while the Play-In Tournament opens April 14 and the first round starts April 18. The Eastern Conference Play-In field is Charlotte, Miami, Philadelphia and Orlando, with Milwaukee already eliminated. (nba.com, nba.com) The Bucks are now headed into their third coaching search in three years. Mike Budenholzer was fired in 2023 after coaching Milwaukee to the 2021 championship, and Adrian Griffin was dismissed during the 2023-24 season despite a 30-13 start before Rivers was hired. (espn.com, sports.yahoo.com) Rivers leaves Milwaukee with a 97-103 record over parts of three seasons, according to Sports Illustrated’s summary of the move. Sporting News reported that his contract had been set to run through the 2026-27 season. (si.com, sportingnews.com) The franchise now turns to an offseason shaped by that collapse and by questions around Antetokounmpo’s future after a season that ended before the bracket did. Milwaukee’s next coach will be asked to reverse a slide that took the Bucks from recent contender to lottery team in one year. (cbssports.com, nba.com)