Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers strongly suggested Tuesday that he may walk away from coaching when this disappointing season concludes, citing his desire to spend more time with his grandchildren.
The 64-year-old Rivers, who holds the NBA’s sixth-best coaching record of all time and leads all active coaches in victories, gave a telling response when reporters asked about his future before Tuesday’s game in Brooklyn.
“I won’t answer that, but I have grandkids that I want to see,” Rivers told the media. “I’ll put it that way. I’ll let you figure it out from there.”
Rivers will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame this summer. Only five coaches in NBA history have more wins than Rivers, who captured an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008. Those ahead of him include Gregg Popovich, Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Jerry Sloan and Pat Riley.
The Bucks entered this season expecting to compete for a title, centered around perennial All-Star and former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and strengthened by signing Myles Turner during the offseason. However, injuries derailed Milwaukee’s campaign from early on. After opening 8-5, the team dropped seven straight games to fall below .500 and never recovered.
Milwaukee hasn’t ranked among the Eastern Conference’s top eight teams since mid-November and actually received trade inquiries for Antetokounmpo in February before deciding to retain him for now. Currently, the organization finds itself in a public dispute with their superstar, who wants to continue playing despite being eliminated from playoff contention while the team keeps him sidelined due to injury concerns.
This season marks Antetokounmpo’s lowest game total in his 13-year career with just 36 appearances. Rivers has grown frustrated with the endless speculation surrounding Antetokounmpo’s relationship with Milwaukee, expressing his annoyance last week about being caught in the middle of situations beyond his control.
“The tough part about all this is I’m in the middle when I have nothing to do with it,” Rivers explained Friday. “Coaches don’t decide any of this. But, the problem with our league is the coaches are the ones sitting out front and we have to sit here and answer this stuff. And I think there are two sides to this. I will tell you that.”
Both Antetokounmpo’s and Rivers’ futures with Milwaukee will likely dominate offseason discussions.
Rivers appeared contemplative last week during his Hall of Fame announcement ceremony.
“Without the players that I’ve coached, without the coaches that I’ve coached with, I wouldn’t be here,” Rivers stated upon learning of his Hall selection. “None of us live in isolation. We all live and breathe with other people, and other people help us get to places we are.”
Rivers took over the Bucks partway through the 2023-24 season. He maintains various interests beyond coaching and would likely attract broadcasting opportunities if he chooses to leave the sidelines, having previously worked in television. He emphasized how difficult it is to miss important moments with his young grandchildren.
“I have seven grandkids now and they’re all 8 years and under,” Rivers shared. “And it kills me every time I miss grandparents’ day with each one of them in school. And it’s probably time to go see them more. So, I’ll let you figure out the rest.”
