Doc Rivers exits Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks announced Doc Rivers will step down after the club finished the season 32–50. ( ). His departure was one of the first big fallout items tied to the regular‑season finale as the league’s postseason field locked in. (nytimes.com).
Doc Rivers is out as Milwaukee’s head coach after the Bucks closed 2025-26 at 32-50 and missed both the playoffs and the play-in. (espn.com) The move came Sunday, April 12, minutes after Milwaukee lost 126-106 to the Philadelphia 76ers in the regular-season finale. ESPN reported the Bucks are starting their third coaching search in three years. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) Rivers went 97-103 across parts of three seasons in Milwaukee after taking over in late January 2024, when the Bucks fired Adrian Griffin despite a 30-13 start. Milwaukee finished 17-19 under Rivers in 2023-24 and 48-34 in 2024-25 before this season’s collapse. (espn.com) This is a sharp drop for a franchise that won the National Basketball Association title in 2021 and had reached the postseason in nine straight seasons before this year. The Bucks also have not won a playoff series since 2022. (espn.com) The 32-50 finish left Milwaukee 11th in the Eastern Conference and third in the Central Division, behind Detroit and Cleveland. The team’s points per game fell to 110.7, near the bottom of the league. (espn.com) (basketball-reference.com) Injuries shaped the season. Giannis Antetokounmpo was healthy for 36 games, according to ESPN, and the Bucks ruled him out for the April 10 home finale before the season ended in Philadelphia. (espn.com) (usatoday.com) Milwaukee’s roster still carried veteran expectations, with Antetokounmpo, Myles Turner, Bobby Portis, Kyle Kuzma and Gary Trent Jr. on the team page at season’s end. Rivers said after the finale that the year “didn’t go the way I wanted it to go” and pointed to health and player development. (nba.com) (espn.com) The split may not be a full break. ESPN reported the Bucks will pay Rivers his eight-figure 2026-27 salary and that both sides are discussing an advisory role in the organization. (espn.com) Milwaukee now heads into the offseason with a coaching vacancy, a missed postseason, and fresh questions about how to rebuild around Antetokounmpo after the franchise’s worst record since 2013-14. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2)
