After the Philadelphia 76ers fired him following a third-straight playoffs exit in the second round, Doc Rivers was spending his time working as an ESPN analyst. However, the Milwaukee Bucks were making some adjustments to their coaching staff, which opened up an opportunity for Rivers to return in the coaching realm.
The Bucks fired Adrian Griffin just after 43 games as the head coach. At the time of his firing, Milwaukee was 30-13, something that surprised some as the Bucks had both two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and seven-time all star Damian Lillard on the court.
Milwaukee Bucks were among other teams that contacted Rivers.
Several teams had contacted Doc Rivers in the offseason as they looked to improve their coaching staff, but Rivers said that he needed to find the right team.
“I wasn’t going to just take a job,” Rivers said in his first press conference as the Bucks’ head coach. “I’ve been contacted several times this season, and I wouldn’t even take the call. I was dead serious. If the right opportunity opened, I would listen. If not, I was fine.”
It was a homecoming of sorts for Rivers as he returned to Milwaukee. Rivers was a former guard for the Marquette Eagles and gained most of his basketball knowledge from former Marquette coaches Al McGuire, Rick Majerus, and Hank Raymonds. Rivers says Milwaukee changed him as a person.
“Coming back here, to a place that changed me as a literal person, is a dream.”
Rivers is set to make his coaching debut with Milwaukee on Monday as the Bucks embark on a five-game road trip. Joe Prunty will finish out his duties as interim head coach on Saturday night against the New Orleans Pelicans before passing the torch to Rivers. He reflected on being able to coach in an arena where his No. 31 Marquette jersey hangs in the rafters. Rivers was at Marquette from 1980-83 before he spent 13 seasons playing in the NBA.
“It’s just really cool being in an arena, coaching in an arena and your jersey’s hanging above you,” Rivers said. “I can turn to the players and say: ‘Guys, I swear to god, I played basketball. Just look up. I swear that’s me.’ It’s really cool.”
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