Doc Rivers is assuring that he will not be returning to the NBA sidelines after leaving the Milwaukee Bucks and retiring this offseason.

Rivers stepped down from his post in Milwaukee on April 13, following a disappointing 32-50 campaign. He coached the Bucks from Jan. 2024, amassing a 97-103 record — a .485 win percentage.

The Bucks went 3-8 in the playoffs under his tutelage, including two first-round exits. On a positive note, Rivers helped Milwaukee clinch the inaugural 2024 NBA Cup, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 in the Las Vegas finale, with MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (now with the Miami Heat) posting a triple-double (26 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists).

Rivers is set to return to television after the Bucks lured him away from his analyst role with ESPN/ABC in early 2024. He will be an analyst for NBC in the upcoming season, something he is very excited to give his all to. 

"I can honestly say I'm absolutely retired," Rivers said. "I had a long run. It ended up in the Hall of Fame, and I am so thankful that I was able to coach and play as long as I did. For the first time, I can focus on giving TV my 100 percent attention, which I'm really looking forward to."

Although he is best known for being a legendary coach, Rivers is not unfamiliar with the broadcasting world. He spent three years at Turner Sports in the 1990s before agreeing to call games for ESPN in 2023-24. 

The latter ended midseason after the Bucks abruptly fired rookie head coach Adrian Griffin following an impressive 31-14 start to the year. 

With Rivers already involved behind the scenes — as an informal consultant for Milwaukee at the request of their front office — the Bucks aggressively pursued him for his veteran championship experience after Griffin's departure.

Rivers chose to leave ESPN for the Bucks at the time, citing that he had not yet completely lost the "coaching bug." However, it's safe to say that his stint in Wisconsin did not pan out the way everyone involved had hoped it would.

The Bucks have since hired former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins to replace Rivers on April 30.

One thing that is undisputed about Rivers' coaching career is how long he was able to do it at a high level. 

Unfortunately for him, however, he was never able to get back over the hump after leading the Boston Celtics to the 2008 NBA championship. His last Finals appearance, also with the Celtics, was in 2010.

Since then, Rivers has consistently been a playoff coach, but not quite the title winner that the hiring franchises saw him to be.

Still, having coached five teams over 27 seasons in the league, reaching the postseason 21 times is quite the feat. There is a reason why Rivers was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year. His resume will forever be excellent.

And he never rested on his laurels or shied away from a challenge, either, which is admirable. Rivers always strove to win more rings; it just never happened for him.

Outside of being with the Antetokounmpo-led Bucks, his best chance was probably when he was the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers from 2020 to 2023. 

There, with 2022-23 MVP Joel Embiid in the fold, Rivers racked up a 154-82 regular-season record (.653) and a 20-15 postseason tally. However, the Sixers failed to make it past the Eastern Conference semifinals, losing at the same stage each year.