Coaching shakeup: Doc Rivers
Reports flagged a major coaching move this week — Doc Rivers is leaving the Milwaukee Bucks, a change noted in recent roster-and-staff coverage. (x.com). The update appeared alongside broader team-room shakeups in that same brief item, indicating multiple franchises are making late-season staff adjustments. (x.com)
Doc Rivers stepped down as Milwaukee Bucks coach on April 13, ending a 2½-year run after Milwaukee missed the playoffs at 32-50. (nba.com) The Bucks announced the move Monday morning, one day after their season ended with a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. ESPN reported Milwaukee will pay Rivers his eight-figure salary for 2026-27 and has discussed a possible advisory role. (nba.com) (espn.com) Rivers took over in January 2024 after Milwaukee fired Adrian Griffin midway through a 30-13 start. He finished with a 97-103 record in Milwaukee, including two playoff appearances and the 2024 Emirates National Basketball Association Cup title. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Milwaukee’s 32-50 finish ended a nine-season playoff streak and pushed the franchise into its third coaching search in three years. The move lands two days after the regular season and less than a week after Rivers was named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026. (nba.com) (nbcsports.com) The collapse came in a season shaped by injuries and roster instability. Associated Press coverage said Damian Lillard was limited to 34 games, Giannis Antetokounmpo played 58, and Khris Middleton appeared in 44 as Milwaukee cycled through lineups all year. (abcnews.com) Rivers said in the team statement that he was “grateful” for his time in Milwaukee and called coaching the Bucks “an incredible experience.” Bucks owners Wes Edens, Jimmy and Dee Haslam, and Jamie Dinan said it had been “an honor” to have him lead the team and community. (nba.com) The Bucks now head into an offseason with Antetokounmpo still under contract, Lillard entering his age-35 season, and no coach in place. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel listed Sam Cassell, Taylor Jenkins, and Tom Thibodeau among early names to watch in the search. (jsonline.com) For Milwaukee, the immediate question is no longer whether Rivers would return. It is who gets the next shot at resetting a team that went from title expectations to 50 losses in one season. (espn.com)
