Doc Rivers' break from coaching didn't last long.
On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks hired Rivers to replace first-time head coach Adrian Griffin, who was fired by the franchise despite a 30-13 start, according to a NBA official with direct knowledge of the hiring. The official spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because it has not been announced yet.
Rivers, who offers more than 24-years worth of coaching experience, last served as a head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers before he was fired in May 2023 following an early exit from the NBA playoffs. Rivers has led four NBA franchises before the Bucks, with a career regular-season record of 1097-763 and a playoff record of 111-104.
He was named one of the NBA's 15 greatest coaches of all-time in honor of the league's 75th anniversary in 2022 and has the ninth most regular-season wins by an NBA coach all-time.
"I love coaching. I enjoy coaching," Rivers said in 2003. "I consider it in my blood."
Here's everything you need to know about Rivers' résume, from his playing days to coaching and broadcasting:
Rivers enjoyed a 14-year career in the NBA, where he played for the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. He retired in 1996. In 864 career games (605 starts), Rivers averaged 10.9 points, 5.7 assists and 3 rebounds per game.
Rivers started his coaching career in 1999 with the Orlando Magic. He was named the NBA's Coach of the Year in his first season in Orlando in 2000 and led the Magic to the playoffs in three of his four years with the team, despite first-round exits. Rivers was fired in 2003 after the Magic got off to a 1-10 start.
"It is part of sports," Rivers said after his termination. "I thought I had a good run here. Things just didn't work out in the end. Maybe the players need to hear another voice."
In five seasons under Rivers, the Magic posted a 171-168 record (.504).
Rivers spent nine seasons as head coach of the Boston Celtics, where he led his team to two NBA Finals appearances and one NBA championship title (2008), the only one of Rivers' coaching career.
He was hired as the Celtics head coach in 2004 and led the Celtics to the playoffs in his first year, but Rivers' team missed the postseason in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons after posting 33-49 and 24-58 records, respectively. All-Star Kevin Garnett was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Celtics in the 2007-08 season, forming a "Big Three" with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. The Celtics improved to a 66-16 record and went on to win an NBA title over Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in 2008.
Rivers coached the Celtics back to the NBA Finals in the 2009-10 season, but they lost to the Lakers in seven games. In nine seasons under Rivers, the Celtics posted a 416-305 record (.577).
The Clippers acquired Rivers from the Celtics in June 2013 for a 2015 first-round draft pick. He famously planned out the Clippers' championship parade route ahead of his arrival and had the Lakers' championship banners and retired jerseys hanging in the rafters of the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) covered during Clippers' home games in an effort to change the team's culture.
“I just want to make this our arena,” Rivers said at the time of the teams' jointly used stadium. “It’s about the Clippers. And when we play in our arena, it should be our arena. ,... Why are we looking at (the Lakers') banners?"
In his first season in Los Angeles, Rivers led the team to a franchise-high 57 wins in the regular season, but controversy struck during their first-round playoff matchup against the Golden State Warriors. TMZ released an audio recording of then-owner Donald Sterling making racist statements, leading Rivers to state that he would not return as coach under Sterling. NBA commissioner Adam Silver ultimately banned Sterling from the league for life and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer bought the franchise in 2014 for $2 billion, a record price at the time for an NBA team.
The Clippers made the playoffs six of Rivers' seven years as head coach, but his team never managed to get past the second round of the playoffs. In the 2015 playoffs, the Clippers blew a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals to the Houston Rockets, and did the same thing the 2019-20 season against the Denver Nuggets, despite landing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Rivers stepped down after the defeat.
In seven seasons under Rivers, the Clippers posted a 356-208 record (.631).
The 76ers hired Rivers in October 2020. In three seasons under Rivers, the Sixers posted a 154-82 record (.653) and finished either first or second in their division. However, they have been unable to advance past the second round of the playoffs in any of the past six seasons.
In the 2022-23 season, Rivers' team, led by league MVP Joel Embiid, blew a 3-2 series lead over the Celtics and got blown out in a 112-88 Game 7 loss. The defeat dropped Rivers' record as a head coach in Game 7s to 6-10. He was subsequently fired.
"I really enjoyed my time in Philadelphia – what a great city," Rivers said. "We got a lot done in a short amount of time. ... I wanted, just as badly as you, to bring another championship to Philadelphia. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to lead, to learn, and to love this great city."
After being fired by the Magic in 2003, Rivers joined ESPN's broadcasting team and went on to call the 2004 NBA Finals. He left the broadcast booth to take the Celtics head coaching job.
He rejoined ESPN in the summer of 2023 after he was fired by the 76ers. Rivers is part of the network's lead commentating team, alongside Mike Breen and Doris Burke. It’s common for coaches to have contractual provisions that allow them to return to coaching.
Contributing: Jeff Zillgitt