Doc Rivers gives further insight into his decision to step down as Milwaukee Bucks head coach.
On April 13, Doc Rivers resigned from his position as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks endured their toughest season in a decade, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. They finished with a record of 32-50, and were hamstrung by the fact that Giannis Antetokounmpo played a career low 36 games.
For Rivers, It was the first time a team he coached had missed the playoffs since 2018, and it was the time he's had a losing record across a full season since 2006-07.
Rivers was hired by Milwaukee in January 2024 after the team parted ways with Adrian Griffin.
Doc's Decision
Many have weighed in on Doc departing Milwaukee, wondering if the Bucks were going to part ways with him anyway given the lack of success in 2025-26.
Speaking to Andscape, Doc said the decision was all his.
“It wasn’t a hard decision. It’s probably on your mind your last couple years. 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."
After the season ended, but before an announcement was made, Doc seemed resigned and at peace with his future in speaking to the media and press.
In his regular season exit interview with the media, Doc hinted that his time with the organization as a head coach was coming to an end, saying, "I can tell you we're all on the same page. We've talked about it. We want it out pretty quick. I want them to do it. It's better."
Doc's Future
Doc Rivers has been a head coach since being hired by the Orlando Magic in 1999, just three years after he retired from the NBA.
While he's spent the majority of the last 27 years serving as a head coach, he was in broadcasting throughout that time.
He worked on the NBA on TNT after his retirement as a player, was part of ABC's coverage of the 2004 NBA Finals, and was part of ESPN's coverage between being fired by the Philadelphia 76ers in May 2023 and joining the Bucks in January 2024.
As of now, Doc has not made any formal announcement regarding his future.