Doc Rivers couldn’t stay away from coaching for too long.
On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks reached an agreement with Rivers that’ll make him their next head coach. He’ll replace Adrian Griffin, who was fired on Tuesday afternoon.
Prior to this move, Rivers was spending this season as an NBA analyst for ESPN, working closely with Mike Breen and Doris Burke. Now, he’ll try to lead the Bucks to a championship.
David Roberts, the head of event and studio production at ESPN, released a brief statement on Rivers’ departure.
“We wish Doc well and we look forward to documenting the next chapter of his coaching career,” Roberts said. “We have a deep roster of supremely talented commentators who will continue to serve NBA fans with tremendous skill, passion and expertise.”
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— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) January 24, 2024
Rivers went 54-28 in his final season as the head coach of the 76ers. Although he had plenty of success in the regular season, he was unable to get Philadelphia past the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Bucks are 30-13 heading into this Wednesday’s game against the Cavaliers. They currently own the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
A deep playoff run won’t be enough for Rivers and the Bucks. In order to satisfy the fan base in Milwaukee, they’ll need to finish this season with the Larry O’Brien Trophy in their arms.