Doc Rivers facts for kids
Rivers coaching the Philadelphia 76ers in 2022
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| Milwaukee Bucks | ||||||||||||||
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| Head coach | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Born | October 13, 1961 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
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| High school | Proviso East (Maywood, Illinois) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Marquette (1980–1983) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1983 / Round: 2 / Pick: 31st overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Atlanta Hawks | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1983–1996 | |||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1999–present | |||||||||||||
| League | NBA | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||
| 1983–1991 | Atlanta Hawks | |||||||||||||
| 1991–1992 | Los Angeles Clippers | |||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | New York Knicks | |||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | San Antonio Spurs | |||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||
| 1999–2003 | Orlando Magic | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2013 | Boston Celtics | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2020 | Los Angeles Clippers | |||||||||||||
| 2020–2023 | Philadelphia 76ers | |||||||||||||
| 2024–present | Milwaukee Bucks | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
As player:
As coach:
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| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 9,377 (10.9 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| Assists | 4,889 (5.7 apg) | |||||||||||||
| Steals | 1,563 (1.8 spg) | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is a famous American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Doc Rivers played in the NBA for 14 seasons. He was an NBA All-Star player and is considered one of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History.
Rivers played college basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles. The Atlanta Hawks picked him in the 1983 NBA draft. He played as a point guard for the Hawks from 1983 to 1991. Later, he also played for the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, and San Antonio Spurs. In 1988, Rivers was chosen to play in the 1988 NBA All-Star Game.
After he stopped playing in 1996, Rivers started his coaching career in the NBA. He coached the Orlando Magic (1999–2003), Boston Celtics (2004–2013), Los Angeles Clippers (2013–2020), and Philadelphia 76ers (2020–2023). In his first year with the Magic, he won the NBA Coach of the Year award in 2000. He also led the Celtics to an NBA championship in 2008. Rivers also worked as a basketball analyst for ESPN.
Doc Rivers as a Player
High School and College Years
Doc Rivers was a top high school player, named a McDonald's All-American while at Proviso East High School near Chicago. He got his nickname "Doc" at a summer basketball camp at Marquette University. He was wearing a "Dr. J" T-shirt, named after famous player Julius Erving. People started calling him "Doc" because of it.
Rivers then played college basketball for Marquette. After three seasons, the Atlanta Hawks drafted him in the second round of the 1983 NBA draft. He finished his college degree while playing in the NBA.
Professional Basketball Career
Doc Rivers played as a point guard for the Atlanta Hawks from 1983 to 1991. He helped star player Dominique Wilkins and the team have many successful seasons. His first NBA start was against Julius Erving, who called him "Doc" and made him feel great.
On March 4, 1986, Rivers made a career-high 21 assists in one game. In the 1986–87 season, he averaged 12.8 points and 10.0 assists per game. This is called a double-double. In 1988, he played in the NBA All-Star Game. Rivers played 8 seasons with the Hawks and still holds their record for most assists with 3,866.
After the Hawks, Rivers played for the Los Angeles Clippers (1991–1992), New York Knicks (1992–1994), and San Antonio Spurs (1994–1996). He retired from playing after the 1996 season. In his career, he played 864 regular-season games. He averaged 10.9 points, 5.7 assists, and 3 rebounds per game.
Playing for Team USA
Rivers also played for the U.S. national team in the 1982 FIBA World Championship in Colombia. He was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP). The U.S. team reached the gold medal game but lost by one point to the Soviet Union.
Doc Rivers as a Coach
Orlando Magic (1999–2003)
Rivers started coaching the Orlando Magic in 1999. In his first year, the Magic were expected to finish last, but he led them close to the playoffs. Because of this, he won the Coach of the Year award in 2000.
In 2000, the Magic tried to sign some big free agents. They almost got Tim Duncan to join Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady. However, Duncan decided to stay with the San Antonio Spurs. This was partly because Rivers had a rule that family members could not travel on the team plane.
The Magic made the playoffs in Rivers's next three years. But he was fired in 2003 after the team started the season with only 1 win and 10 losses.
Boston Celtics (2004–2013)
After working as a TV commentator for a year, Rivers became the head coach of the Boston Celtics in 2004. In his early years with the Celtics, some people criticized his coaching style.
On January 21, 2008, the Celtics won a game against the New York Knicks. This win meant Rivers got to coach the Eastern Conference team in the 2008 NBA All-Star Game because the Celtics had the best record.
On June 17, 2008, Rivers won his first and only NBA Championship as a head coach. His Celtics team beat the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. To win the championship, the Celtics played 26 playoff games, which was an NBA record at the time.
Rivers led the Celtics back to the 2010 NBA Finals in 2010. They faced the Los Angeles Lakers again but lost in seven games. Rivers thought about retiring to spend more time with his family. But he decided to stay and coach the Celtics for another season. In 2011, he signed a new 5-year contract. On February 6, 2013, Rivers got his 400th win with the Celtics.
Los Angeles Clippers (2013–2020)
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In 2013, Doc Rivers became the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. He also became the senior vice president of basketball operations for the team. In his first season, the Clippers won a team-record 57 games. They earned the 3rd seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
During the 2014 playoffs, there was a big controversy involving the Clippers' owner, Donald Sterling. Rivers said he would not return if Sterling remained the owner. The NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, banned Sterling from the NBA for life. The team was then sold to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, and Rivers stayed with the Clippers.
Rivers also became the president of basketball operations for the Clippers in 2014. He had the final say on basketball decisions. In 2015, Rivers became the first NBA coach to coach his own son, Austin Rivers, who played for the Clippers. Austin was later traded in 2018.
On May 31, 2019, Rivers was fined $50,000 for talking about Kawhi Leonard while Leonard was still under contract with another team. This was against the NBA's rules. The Clippers later signed Leonard.
In the 2019–20 season, Rivers earned his 900th win as a head coach. In the playoffs that year, the Clippers had a 3-1 lead in a series against the Denver Nuggets but lost the next three games. This meant they lost the series. Rivers became the first coach in NBA history to have three teams lose a best-of-seven series after being up 3-1.
On September 28, 2020, Rivers stepped down as the Clippers coach. He had a record of 356 wins and 208 losses with the team. However, he was not able to lead them to the conference finals.
Philadelphia 76ers (2020–2023)
On October 3, 2020, the Philadelphia 76ers hired Rivers as their head coach. The 76ers won their first two games, giving Rivers his 945th career win. This moved him to 10th place on the all-time coaching wins list. The 76ers finished as the top team in the Eastern Conference. They won their first playoff series but lost in the semifinals to the Atlanta Hawks. On May 14, 2023, the 76ers lost their playoff series to the Celtics. Two days later, Rivers was fired after three years with the team.
Milwaukee Bucks (2023–Present)
In December 2023, Rivers started working as an informal advisor for the Milwaukee Bucks. On January 26, 2024, the Bucks hired him as their head coach. His first game with the Bucks was a loss to the Denver Nuggets.
On December 17, 2024, Doc Rivers led the Milwaukee Bucks to win the NBA Cup final. They beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 in Las Vegas. This made the Bucks the second team to win this mid-season tournament. Giannis Antetokounmpo played amazingly, getting 26 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists. He was named the Most Valuable Player for the tournament. Damian Lillard also scored 23 points. This win showed a great improvement for the Bucks, as they had won 13 of their last 16 games after a slow start.
Broadcasting Career
After he stopped playing, Rivers worked as a basketball commentator for NBA on TNT. He then joined the Orlando Magic as a coach in 1999. After being fired by the Magic in 2003, Rivers joined ESPN and ABC to commentate on NBA games, including the 2004 NBA Finals. He left broadcasting to coach the Boston Celtics. In 2023, he rejoined ESPN/ABC's top broadcasting team. However, in January 2024, he left ESPN again to become the Milwaukee Bucks' head coach.
Personal Life
Doc Rivers is related to several other athletes. His uncle, Jim Brewer, was also an NBA player. His cousin, Byron Irvin, was an NBA guard, and another cousin, Ken Singleton, played in Major League Baseball.
Rivers married Kristen in 1986, and they had four children. Their oldest son, Jeremiah, played college basketball. Their daughter, Callie, played college volleyball and is married to NBA player Seth Curry. Their son, Austin, is also an NBA player. Their youngest son, Spencer, played college basketball at UC Irvine. Doc and Kristen divorced in 2019.
Rivers became good friends with famous baseball pitcher John Smoltz when Rivers played for the Atlanta Hawks. In 2009, Rivers helped convince Smoltz to sign with the Boston Red Sox. Rivers has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
See also
In Spanish: Doc Rivers para niños
- List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders
- List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game
- List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a game
