Doc Rivers Hired As Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach

The Milwaukee Bucks are now under a new head coaching regime. Doc Rivers will be taking over the position, CNN reports.

The 2021 NBA Champions shocked the NBA community on Tuesday (Jan. 23) when news came out that they dismissed their former head coach Adrian Griffin. Griffin was in his first year coaching the team, and being a head coach overall following over 15 years working as an assistant. He was hired in June 2023 following a disappointing first-round playoff exit for the Bucks that led to them firing their former head coach Mike Budenholzer. Griffin led the Bucks to a 30-13 record which kept them near the top of the Eastern Conference throughout most of the 2023-2024 regular season.

Bucks General Manager Jon Horst called relieving Griffin of his duties a “difficult decision to make during the season.” The Bucks franchise stated that they were “working immediately” to fill the position. The Athletic reported that Rivers operated as an “informal consultant” to Griffin during his time coaching the Bucks, which may have given the franchise confidence in his ability to lead the team.

NBA correspondent Marc Stein reported that Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo did not want them to hire Nick Nurse, another coach with championship pedigree, this past summer when they had a head coaching vacancy, which led to them choosing Adrian Griffin. It could also mean that he had a hand in selecting Doc Rivers, which is commonplace for franchises to consult the leader of their teams.

Rivers brings championship-winning experience to the Bucks organization, having coached the Boston Celtics when they won the NBA Finals in 2008. His most recent tenure was with the Philadelphia 76ers who never made it past the Eastern Conference semifinals during his three seasons there. Before that, he coached the Los Angeles Clippers who made it to one Western Conference Finals in the 2020-2021 season.

The Bucks arguably present him with his best opportunity to be coaching in the NBA Finals again. They boast a roster led by two-time MVP Antetokounmpo and seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard, who joined the team via trade back in September 2023. Griffin laid a strong foundation through their first 43 games as the All-Star break draws near, so it will be up to Rivers to continue the positive momentum.

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