Milwaukee Bucks hire Doc Rivers as Head Coach

The Milwaukee Bucks have hired Doc Rivers as head coach.

Rivers, who becomes the 18th head coach in franchise history, is an NBA champion coach who brings 24 seasons of head coaching experience to the Bucks. As head coach of the Orlando Magic (1999-03), Boston Celtics (2004-13), Los Angeles Clippers (2013-20) and Philadelphia 76ers (2020-23), Rivers racked up 1,097 wins, good for ninth-most in NBA history, and owns an overall record of 1,097-763 (.590). He led his teams to the playoffs in 19 of his 24 seasons as a head coach, with two trips to the NBA Finals and an NBA Championship with the Celtics in 2008. His 111 playoff wins are the fourth-most in league history.

“Doc is a proven, extraordinary leader and communicator during his renowned NBA coaching career,” said Bucks General Manager Jon Horst. “As a championship coach, he’s widely respected as an established innovator, and the right coach to lead our experienced and talented team. I want to thank our owners, Wes Edens, Jimmy and Dee Haslam and Jamie Dinan, for their unwavering commitment to winning. It’s a pleasure to welcome Doc to the Bucks.”

“Doc’s extensive coaching experience and winning leadership qualities make him the ideal choice to maximize our potential,” Bucks co-owners Wes Edens, Jimmy and Dee Haslam, and Jamie Dinan said. “We’re excited to bring Doc to Milwaukee.”

“This is a great opportunity to come to a first-class organization with a team that has a talented roster of high-character players,” Rivers said. “I want to thank Wes, Jimmy, Dee and Jamie, along with Jon, for their trust in me. It’s amazing to come home to Milwaukee where at Marquette I learned the game of basketball from Rick Majerus, Al McGuire, and Hank Raymonds. A special thanks to ESPN for my time there. I’m truly grateful. Now, I’m excited to get started with the Bucks.”

The 1999-00 NBA Coach of the Year, Rivers was named one of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA history in 2022 by a panel of 43 current and former NBA head coaches in collaboration with the National Basketball Coaches Association. Overall, his combined 1,208 regular season and playoff wins as a head coach are the eighth-most in NBA history. He takes over as Bucks head coach just two wins away from passing Larry Brown (1,098) for eighth on the NBA’s all-time regular season wins list.

Most recently, Rivers served as head coach of the 76ers for three seasons from 2020-23 where he amassed a 154-82 (.653) regular season record and made the postseason all three years. Including his three trips to the playoffs with the 76ers, Rivers has advanced to the playoffs in 15 of his last 16 seasons as a head coach going back to 2008.

A native of Chicago and product of Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, Rivers played and graduated from Marquette University, and his number 31 jersey hangs in the rafters of Fiserv Forum. After being selected in the Second Round of the 1983 NBA Draft, Rivers went on to play 13 seasons in the NBA between 1983-96 with the Hawks, Clippers, Knicks and Spurs. He appeared in 864 games in his career, including in 81 playoff games, and was an NBA All-Star in 1988.

An introductory press conference for Rivers will be held tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 27 at 11:30 a.m. in the Jim Paschke Interview Room at Fiserv Forum. More details to follow soon.