Doc Rivers facts for kids
Rivers coaching the Philadelphia 76ers in 2022
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| Milwaukee Bucks | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 an American professional basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Rivers played in the NBA for 14 seasons. He was an NBA All-Star player. Later, as a coach, he was named one of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History.
He played college basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles. The Atlanta Hawks drafted him in 1983. Rivers was a point guard for the Hawks from 1983 to 1991. He also played for the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, and San Antonio Spurs. Rivers was an All-Star with the Hawks in 1988.
After he stopped playing in 1996, Rivers worked as a TV commentator. He started his NBA coaching career in 1999. He coached the Orlando Magic (1999–2003), the Boston Celtics (2004–2013), the Los Angeles Clippers (2013–2020), and the Philadelphia 76ers (2020–2023). Rivers was named the NBA Coach of the Year in 2000. He won an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2008. He also worked as a basketball analyst for ESPN.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
High School and College Years
Doc Rivers was a top player at Proviso East High School. He was even named a McDonald's All-American. He got his famous nickname "Doc" at a summer basketball camp at Marquette University. He was wearing a "Dr. J" t-shirt, honoring the famous player Julius Erving.
Rivers then played college basketball for Marquette. After his third year, the Atlanta Hawks picked him in the 1983 NBA draft. He finished his college degree while playing in the NBA.
Professional Basketball Journey
Rivers joined the Atlanta Hawks as a point guard in 1983. He played alongside star player Dominique Wilkins. Rivers' first NBA start was against Julius Erving, who called him "Doc."
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. He played in the NBA All-Star Game in 1988. Rivers played 8 seasons with the Hawks. He still holds their record for most assists with 3,866.
After the Hawks, Rivers played for the Los Angeles Clippers for one year. He then played two years for the New York Knicks. His last two years were with the San Antonio Spurs. Rivers retired from playing after the 1996 season. He played in 864 regular-season games. He averaged 10.9 points, 5.7 assists, and 3 rebounds per game.
Playing for Team USA
Rivers played for the U.S. national team in the 1982 FIBA World Championship. This tournament was held in Colombia. He was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP). The U.S. team reached the gold medal game. They lost a close game to the Soviet Union, 94–95.
Coaching Career Journey
Orlando Magic (1999–2003)
Rivers started his coaching career with the Orlando Magic in 1999. He coached the team for over four seasons. He won the Coach of the Year award in 2000. This was his first year with the Magic. Many thought the Magic would finish last, but Rivers led them close to the playoffs.
In 2000, the Magic tried to sign several star players. They hoped to create a "Big Three" team. They almost signed Tim Duncan, who would have joined Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady. However, Duncan decided to stay with the San Antonio Spurs. This was partly because Rivers had a rule about family members not traveling on the team plane.
The Magic made the playoffs in Rivers' next three years as head coach. 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, Rivers became the head coach of the Boston Celtics in 2004. Some people in the media criticized his coaching style early on.
On January 21, 2008, the Celtics beat the New York Knicks. This win meant Rivers would coach the Eastern Conference team in the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. He earned this honor because the Celtics had the best record in the Eastern Conference.
On June 17, 2008, Rivers won his first and only NBA Championship as a head coach. His Celtics team defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. The Celtics played 26 playoff games that year, which was an NBA record.
Rivers led the Celtics back to the 2010 NBA Finals. They faced the Los Angeles Lakers again. This time, the Celtics lost the series in seven games. Rivers thought about retiring to spend more time with his family. But he decided to stay and coach the Celtics for the 2010–11 season.
In May 2011, Rivers signed a new 5-year contract with the Celtics. On February 6, 2013, Rivers got his 400th win with the Celtics. They beat the Toronto Raptors 99–95.
Los Angeles Clippers (2013–2020)
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In June 2013, Doc Rivers joined the Los Angeles Clippers as their head coach. He also became the senior vice president of basketball operations. In his first season, Rivers led the Clippers to a team record of 57 wins. They earned the 3rd seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
The 2014 playoffs were difficult because of comments made by 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. Sterling was also made to sell the team. The team was sold to Steve Ballmer, and Rivers stayed with the Clippers.
In June 2014, Rivers was promoted to president of basketball operations. He continued his coaching duties. He signed a new five-year contract in August 2014.
On January 16, 2015, Rivers became the first NBA coach to coach his own son, Austin Rivers. Austin played for the Clippers until June 2018.
In August 2017, Rivers gave up his role as president of basketball operations. He still shared responsibility for basketball decisions. In May 2018, Rivers and the Clippers agreed to extend his contract.
In the 2019–20 season, Rivers earned his 900th win as a head coach. This happened when the Clippers beat the Portland Trail Blazers in November 2019. In the Western Conference semifinals, the Clippers had a 3-1 lead in the series. However, they lost the next three games to the Denver Nuggets. 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 left the Clippers after their playoff loss. He coached the team for seven seasons, with a record of 356 wins and 208 losses. However, he could not lead the Clippers to their first 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 of the 2020–21 season. This gave Rivers his 945th career win, moving him to 10th on the all-time coaching wins list. The 76ers finished as the top team in the Eastern Conference. They beat the Washington Wizards in the first round of the playoffs. But they lost to the Atlanta Hawks in seven games in the semifinals.
On May 14, 2023, the 76ers lost their conference semifinals series to the Celtics. Two days later, Rivers was fired. This ended his three years as the 76ers' head coach.
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 Rivers as their head coach. His first game with the Bucks was a loss to the Denver Nuggets on January 29, 2024.
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 had an amazing game with 26 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists. He was named the Most Valuable Player. Damian Lillard also scored 23 points. This win showed a big improvement for the Bucks, who had won 13 of their last 16 games after a slow start.
Broadcasting Career
After retiring as a player, Rivers worked as a commentator for NBA on TNT. He then became the Orlando Magic's head coach in 1999.
After being fired by the Magic in 2003, Rivers joined ESPN and ABC. He called regular season games and the 2004 NBA Finals. He left broadcasting to coach the Boston Celtics. In the summer of 2023, he rejoined ESPN/ABC's main broadcast team. In January 2024, Rivers left ESPN again to become the Milwaukee Bucks' head coach.
NBA Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983–84 | Atlanta | 81 | 47 | 23.9 | .462 | .167 | .785 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 1.6 | .4 | 9.3 |
| 1984–85 | Atlanta | 69 | 58 | 30.8 | .476 | .417 | .770 | 3.1 | 5.9 | 2.4 | .8 | 14.1 |
| 1985–86 | Atlanta | 53 | 50 | 29.6 | .474 | .000 | .608 | 3.1 | 8.4 | 2.3 | .2 | 11.5 |
| 1986–87 | Atlanta | 82 | 82 | 31.6 | .451 | .190 | .828 | 3.6 | 10.0 | 2.1 | .4 | 12.8 |
| 1987–88 | Atlanta | 80 | 80 | 31.3 | .453 | .273 | .758 | 4.6 | 9.3 | 1.8 | .5 | 14.2 |
| 1988–89 | Atlanta | 76 | 76 | 32.4 | .455 | .347 | .861 | 3.8 | 6.9 | 2.4 | .5 | 13.6 |
| 1989–90 | Atlanta | 48 | 44 | 31.8 | .454 | .364 | .812 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 2.4 | .5 | 12.5 |
| 1990–91 | Atlanta | 79 | 79 | 32.7 | .435 | .336 | .844 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 1.9 | .6 | 15.2 |
| 1991–92 | L.A. Clippers | 59 | 25 | 28.1 | .424 | .283 | .832 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 1.9 | .3 | 10.9 |
| 1992–93 | New York | 77 | 45 | 24.5 | .437 | .317 | .821 | 2.5 | 5.3 | 1.6 | .1 | 7.8 |
| 1993–94 | New York | 19 | 19 | 26.3 | .433 | .365 | .636 | 2.1 | 5.3 | 1.3 | .3 | 7.5 |
| 1994–95 | New York | 3 | 0 | 15.7 | .308 | .600 | .727 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 1.3 | .0 | 6.3 |
| 1994–95 | San Antonio | 60 | 0 | 15.7 | .360 | .344 | .732 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 1.0 | .4 | 5.0 |
| 1995–96 | San Antonio | 78 | 0 | 15.8 | .372 | .343 | .750 | 1.8 | 1.6 | .9 | .3 | 4.0 |
| Career | 864 | 605 | 27.3 | .444 | .328 | .784 | 3.0 | 5.7 | 1.8 | .4 | 10.9 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 16.0 | .500 | — | .455 | 3.0 | 6.0 | — | — | 9.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Atlanta | 5 | — | 26.0 | .500 | .000 | .878 | 2.0 | 3.2 | 2.4 | .8 | 13.6 |
| 1986 | Atlanta | 9 | 9 | 29.1 | .435 | .500 | .738 | 4.7 | 8.7 | 2.0 | .0 | 12.7 |
| 1987 | Atlanta | 8 | 8 | 30.6 | .383 | — | .500 | 3.4 | 11.3 | 1.1 | .4 | 7.8 |
| 1988 | Atlanta | 12 | 12 | 34.1 | .511 | .318 | .907 | 4.9 | 9.6 | 2.1 | .2 | 15.7 |
| 1989 | Atlanta | 5 | 5 | 38.2 | .386 | .316 | .708 | 4.8 | 6.8 | 1.4 | .4 | 13.4 |
| 1991 | Atlanta | 5 | 5 | 34.6 | .469 | .091 | .895 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .4 | 15.6 |
| 1992 | L.A. Clippers | 5 | 4 | 37.4 | .446 | .500 | .815 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 1.2 | .0 | 15.2 |
| 1993 | New York | 15 | 15 | 30.5 | .453 | .355 | .767 | 2.6 | 5.7 | 1.9 | .1 | 10.2 |
| 1995 | San Antonio | 15 | 0 | 21.2 | .389 | .370 | .839 | 1.9 | 1.6 | .9 | .6 | 7.8 |
| 1996 | San Antonio | 2 | 0 | 10.0 | .333 | .500 | — | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.5 |
| Career | 81 | 58 | 29.5 | .446 | .338 | .767 | 3.3 | 5.9 | 1.5 | .3 | 11.4 | |
Head Coaching Record
| * | Record |
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | 1999–00 | 82 | 41 | 41 | .500 | 4th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Orlando | 2000–01 | 82 | 43 | 39 | .524 | 4th in Atlantic | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | Lost in first round |
| Orlando | 2001–02 | 82 | 44 | 38 | .537 | 3rd in Atlantic | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | Lost in first round |
| Orlando | 2002–03 | 82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 4th in Atlantic | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost in first round |
| Orlando | 2003–04 | 11 | 1 | 10 | .091 | (fired) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Boston | 2004–05 | 82 | 45 | 37 | .549 | 1st in Atlantic | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost in first round |
| Boston | 2005–06 | 82 | 33 | 49 | .402 | 3rd in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Boston | 2006–07 | 82 | 24 | 58 | .293 | 5th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Boston | 2007–08 | 82 | 66 | 16 | .805 | 1st in Atlantic | 26* | 16 | 10 | .615 | Won NBA championship |
| Boston | 2008–09 | 82 | 62 | 20 | .756 | 1st in Atlantic | 14 | 7 | 7 | .500 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| Boston | 2009–10 | 82 | 50 | 32 | .610 | 1st in Atlantic | 24 | 15 | 9 | .625 | Lost in NBA Finals |
| Boston | 2010–11 | 82 | 56 | 26 | .683 | 1st in Atlantic | 9 | 5 | 4 | .556 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| Boston | 2011–12 | 66 | 39 | 27 | .591 | 1st in Atlantic | 20 | 11 | 9 | .550 | Lost in conference finals |
| Boston | 2012–13 | 81 | 41 | 40 | .506 | 3rd in Atlantic | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost in first round |
| L.A. Clippers | 2013–14 | 82 | 57 | 25 | .695 | 1st in Pacific | 13 | 6 | 7 | .462 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| L.A. Clippers | 2014–15 | 82 | 56 | 26 | .683 | 2nd in Pacific | 14 | 7 | 7 | .500 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| L.A. Clippers | 2015–16 | 82 | 53 | 29 | .646 | 2nd in Pacific | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost in first round |
| L.A. Clippers | 2016–17 | 82 | 51 | 31 | .622 | 2nd in Pacific | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost in first round |
| L.A. Clippers | 2017–18 | 82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 2nd in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| L.A. Clippers | 2018–19 | 82 | 48 | 34 | .585 | 2nd in Pacific | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost in first round |
| L.A. Clippers | 2019–20 | 72 | 49 | 23 | .681 | 2nd in Pacific | 13 | 7 | 6 | .538 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| Philadelphia | 2020–21 | 72 | 49 | 23 | .681 | 1st in Atlantic | 12 | 7 | 5 | .583 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| Philadelphia | 2021–22 | 82 | 51 | 31 | .622 | 2nd in Atlantic | 12 | 6 | 6 | .500 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| Philadelphia | 2022–23 | 82 | 54 | 28 | .659 | 2nd in Atlantic | 11 | 7 | 4 | .636 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| Milwaukee | 2023–24 | 36 | 17 | 19 | .472 | 1st in Central | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost in first round |
| Milwaukee | 2024–25 | 82 | 48 | 34 | .585 | 3rd in Central | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost in first round |
| Career | 1,978 | 1,162 | 816 | .587 | 226 | 114 | 112 | .504 | |||
Personal Life and Family
Doc Rivers is the nephew of former NBA player Jim Brewer.
Rivers married Kristen in 1986. They had four children: three sons and one daughter. Their oldest son, Jeremiah, played college basketball. He also played in the NBA D-League. His daughter Callie played volleyball for the University of Florida. She is married to NBA player Seth Curry. Rivers' son Austin is also an NBA player. His youngest son, Spencer, played college basketball for UC Irvine. Rivers and Kristen divorced in 2019.
Rivers became good friends with baseball Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz. This friendship started when Rivers played for the Atlanta Hawks. In 2009, Rivers helped convince Smoltz to sign with the Boston Red Sox.
Rivers was featured in a Netflix documentary series called "The Playbook." In one episode, he talks about his family and his time coaching the Celtics. He also discussed the situation with former Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
Rivers is a cousin to former NBA guard Byron Irvin. He is also a cousin to former MLB outfielder Ken Singleton. 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
