Doc Rivers is returning to the broadcast booth as an NBC Sports game analyst following the end of his Bucks coaching tenure.
Doc Rivers is returning to the broadcast booth after parting ways with the Milwaukee Bucks.
NBC Sports announced Monday that Rivers will join its NBA coverage as a game analyst for the 2026-27 season. He will work on broadcasts across NBC, Peacock and NBCSN when the network’s coverage resumes in October.
The move gives Rivers a new role around the league after a coaching career that lasted 27 seasons. He has said he is retired from coaching, making the NBC job his next chapter following the end of his tenure in Milwaukee.
“I loved playing the game, I loved coaching it, and I’ve always loved talking about it,” Rivers said in NBC’s announcement. “I have great memories working with NBC, and I’m excited to be back and share my perspective alongside such a talented team.”
Rivers has done this before
Rivers has spent time in television between his playing and coaching jobs. After retiring as a player in 1996, he worked as a commentator for Turner Sports. He later worked for ESPN between coaching stops and served as a studio analyst for NBC during the 2012 London Olympics.
His new position puts him on live game broadcasts, where his coaching experience should be especially useful. Rivers can explain why a team changes its defensive coverage, how a coach handles foul trouble or what goes into a substitution late in a close game. Those are decisions he made for nearly three decades.
NBC already has a familiar face waiting for him. Rivers’ son, Austin, is also a basketball analyst for the network. Doc coached Austin with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2015 to 2018, when they became the first father and son to work together as coach and player in NBA history. NBC has not said that the two will call games together.
A long coaching résumé
Rivers began his head coaching career with the Orlando Magic in 1999 and won NBA Coach of the Year in his first season. He later coached the Boston Celtics, Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Bucks.
Apr 10, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; MilwaukeeBucksforward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) talks with head coachDocRiversprior to the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn ImagesHis most significant achievement came in Boston. Rivers led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA championship and another Finals appearance in 2010. He finished his career with 1,194 regular-season wins, sixth on the NBA’s all-time list, and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2026.
That experience does not guarantee Rivers will be a great broadcaster, but he brings a perspective few analysts can match. He has coached championship teams, worked with stars at different stages of their careers and dealt with the scrutiny that follows high-profile teams when they fall short.
His Bucks job ended this year. His next assignment will be to explain the game while someone else makes the calls from the sideline.
