Doc Rivers: ‘It was 100 percent my decision’ to step away from Milwaukee Bucks

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A relaxed Doc Rivers ate breakfast at the Ritz Carlton-Charlotte as he had done countless times before on road trips as head coach of the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and, most recently, the Milwaukee Bucks.

As his coffee was being poured, his waiter — identifying as a Bucks fan — thanked him for his time with the franchise and his contribution to the game.

Hours later, rather than being on the sideline inside the Spectrum Center leading his team into battle against the Hornets, Rivers was at his granddaughter’s youth soccer game, where she scored two goals.

“It’s feels strange. Usually after the season, you’re already looking at [the next one],” Rivers said. “But it’s been great so far. I’m golfing. I’m in town to see my grandkids. So, I’m doing exactly what I said I wanted to do. In a year from now, I may need something to do. I don’t know. TV is something I want to get back into. Front office, maybe. And that is where me and the Bucks transitioned to once I told them where I wanted to go. And even with that I said, ‘Let me wait.’ ”

So, is it possible that Rivers, 64, has coached his last NBA game?

“Yeah, it’s very possible,” Rivers said to Andscape.

The Bucks announced Rivers’ departure in an April 13 statement. Milwaukee will pay Rivers his eight-figure salary for the 2026-27 season, sources told ESPN. The recently named Naismith Hall of Fame coach told Andscape it was “100 percent my decision” to leave.

Rivers had a 97-103 record during his two-plus seasons with Milwaukee, leading to two first-round playoff exits and missing the postseason this season. The Bucks won the 2024 NBA Cup under Rivers, but they had a 32-50 record this season, with All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo playing just 36 games.

“It wasn’t a hard decision. It’s probably on your mind your last couple years,” Rivers said. “It had nothing to do with the season or anything like that. There’s times where you feel like you’ve had your run. I still love it. I still love coaching. But I don’t ever want my job to become work. I guess that is the best way of saying that. It’s more of a labor of love. So, I just felt like it was time. It was not like some lightning strike or something like that. I told ownership that a while ago.

“I’m 64 with kids, grandkids. And I’m not like a lot of the other coaches. A lot of the other coaches, when they get fired, they’re off a year or two years. I’ve never had that. I’ve [coached] for basically 26 straight years. So that’s what I was thinking: ‘Man, when am I going to start enjoying things?’ I still want to be in the game and do something. I don’t even know where that goes. But I just thought it was time. This was my decision. It was 100 percent my decision.”

Rivers ranks sixth all-time in career coaching victories (1,194). The 2000 NBA Coach of the Year led the Celtics to a championship in 2008 and an NBA Finals appearance in 2010. He 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. He has amassed 114 NBA playoff wins, fourth-most all-time. 

If Rivers has indeed coached his last game, it was the Bucks’ 126-106 road loss to one of his former teams, the 76ers, on April 12. Rivers said Bucks ownership and the front office knew of his decision before the game. Rivers said 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey, whom he coached in Philadelphia, had received a tip that the end was near and offered him well wishes prior to the game.

In hindsight, Rivers wishes he had told the Bucks players he was leaving.

“The Bucks [ownership and executives] knew because obviously we had told them,” Rivers said. “But the [cameraman] during the national anthem, the guy just stood there the whole time [in front of me]. It was tough getting through that. Tyrese knew on the other team. That’s why he came over before the game because my son, Spencer, told him. But it was cool.

“I didn’t want to tell the players anything, and I probably should have. After the game, I should have said something. As I always say, ‘You don’t get everything right.’ I didn’t go in the locker room after we won the title [in Boston]. You make decisions. I may be the only coach in the history of sports that did not go into the locker room after you win the NBA title. When you see all the champagne, there’s no me in there.”

Rivers said he started thinking about leaving coaching prior to training camp for the 2025-26 season. It was the first time as a coach that he wasn’t excited about the arrival of training camp. Rivers said he “owed it to his employers” to be honest about those feelings.

“It was never not fun, but I was just worried it wasn’t going to be,” Rivers said. “If you start thinking about retirement, you are retired, and I never thought about it [before]. Then all of a sudden, I started thinking about it a lot. So, that voice was always in my head.”

One of the biggest challenges for Rivers and the Bucks this season was all the speculation surrounding Antetokounmpo’s future. 

Antetokounmpo was involved in trade rumors, but the Bucks ultimately didn’t move him prior to the trade deadline. The 10-time NBA All-Star, who led the Bucks to a title in 2021, expressed interest recently in signing a $275 million extension that he is eligible for this offseason. He also said last week he was frustrated with the Bucks being far from a title contender and his poor communication with the franchise brass.

“It wore on everyone,” Rivers said. “And I don’t even know how it could have been handled different or not. I have a lot of compassion for Giannis. I think everybody knows that, because I do think he has the right to change his mind. He has the right to want to stay. … The dude won a title for the franchise. And if he wants to stay in Milwaukee for his whole career, and even if they don’t win and they don’t get the right guys, it should be his choice.

“There used to be a time where players were celebrated for that, for being loyal and staying. And then if he wants to leave, he has the right to do that, too. He’s going to be a free agent in a year. I just didn’t like all the talk all year, because no one knew what they were talking about because Giannis didn’t know. He felt one way and then he would change the next week. But I kept telling him, ‘But that is OK.’ It’s a huge decision for him.”

Rivers will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame during the class of 2026’s enshrinement ceremony on Aug. 15 in Springfield, Mass. He accidentally had his ringer on silent when John Doleva, president of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, called to give him the news.

After learning of the honor, Rivers said he got emotional telling his brother, Grady Rivers Jr., who spoke about how proud their parents would have been if they were alive to enjoy this moment.

Rivers said he has revised his acceptance speech numerous times. While he hasn’t decided on Hall of Fame escorts to bring him to the stage, he wishes former college coach and mentor George Raveling were alive to attend. Rivers said his Hall of Fame induction will also be meaningful because it’s in New England, where his most storied coaching took place with the Celtics.

“It was awesome. I’ve never been that comfortable with that kind of stuff,” Rivers said of being named a Hall of Famer. “I’m not trying to downplay it. But even today I am still getting congratulations [messages]. That is very uncomfortable for me. I didn’t set out to be in the Hall of Fame. I made it to the Hall of Fame. It wasn’t like, ‘I want to be a Hall of Fame coach.’ Now, it’s awesome.”

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