Rivers praised the franchise while discussing Giannis trade destinations on the Bill Simmons Podcast.
Doc Rivers is one of the most respected voices in basketball, and even in retirement he still has plenty to say about the teams he has coached.
The former NBA champion and 2026 Hall of Fame inductee recently sat down with Bill Simmons for a wide-ranging podcast conversation about the NBA Finals, coaching, and where Giannis Antetokounmpo might end up this offseason.
While breaking down possible landing spots for the Bucks superstar, Rivers gave the Los Angeles Clippers some serious praise.
How Rivers Transformed the Clippers
When Rivers arrived in Los Angeles in 2013, the Clippers were an afterthought. The franchise had spent decades as the laughingstock of the NBA under Donald Sterling, and the idea of the team being a destination for stars seemed impossible.
Rivers changed that almost right away, leading the team to a franchise-record 57 wins in his first season while the Lob City era with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan turned the Clippers into one of the most fun teams in basketball.
More than the wins, Rivers changed the way people around the league viewed the organization.
That cultural shift is what eventually brought Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to Los Angeles in 2019 and turned the Clippers into real title contenders.
On the podcast, Rivers made it clear that the foundation he helped lay is still holding up today. "The Clippers do everything right, that organization does things the right way," Rivers said.
The Clippers Are Still on the Rise
Rivers' praise lines up with what happened this past season.
Los Angeles finished 42-40 after opening the year with a brutal 6-21 record, becoming the first team in NBA history to climb above .500 after falling 15 games below it.
Kawhi Leonard was the driving force, putting up a career-high 27.9 points per game in 65 games and exploding for 55 points against Detroit in December to tie the franchise scoring record.
He earned All-NBA Second Team honors and proved at 35 that he is still one of the most complete players in the game.
The front office matched that energy at the trade deadline by sending James Harden to Cleveland for Darius Garland and moving Ivica Zubac to Indiana in exchange for Bennedict Mathurin and what became the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Those moves signaled a clear shift toward building something that lasts rather than chasing short-term results, and young players like Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller took real steps forward down the stretch.
With the Intuit Dome settled in as home court, a top-five draft pick on the way, and a front office ready to make big moves this summer, this franchise looks like it is doing things the right way.
Rivers helped start that transformation over a decade ago, and from the outside looking in, he clearly believes they are still headed in the right direction.
