Philadelphia 76ers Part Ways With Doc Rivers

The Philadelphia 76ers are cutting the cord on the Doc Rivers era early. On Tuesday, the Sixers have decided to part ways with the head coach, a source confirms.

Rivers’ stint as the Sixers' head coach ends after his third season in charge. Back in 2020, Rivers wrapped up his seventh season as the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.

At the time, Rivers and the Clippers came up short after losing in the Western Conference Semifinals despite having championship expectations.

Meanwhile, the Sixers were calling it quits with Brett Brown after seven seasons. Since the Sixers found themselves swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, it was clear the team needed to head in a new direction.

The Sixers initially considered candidates such as Mike D’Antoni, Billy Donovan, Tyronn Lue, and more. Reports hinted that the team was deciding between D’Antoni and Lue before Rivers became available.

Once Rivers hit the open market following his stint with the Clippers, the Sixers changed their direction and went for the for the one-time champion. Within days, the Sixers finalized the acquisition of Rivers.

During the 2020-2021 season, the Sixers achieved a 49-23 record, which clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, the Sixers defeated the Washington Wizards 4-1 in the first round before falling short to the Atlanta Hawks in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

In 2021-2022, the Sixers finished with a 51-31 record. They placed fourth in the Eastern Conference and faced the Toronto Raptors in the first round. After battling for six games against the Raptors, the Sixers finished them off 4-2. For the second-straight season, the Sixers came up short in the second round as they lost to the Miami Heat 4-2.

Similar to the previous two seasons, the Sixers entered the 2022-2023 season with high expectations of making a title run. As the Joel Embiid-James Harden duo got a full offseason together for the first time, the Sixers were hoping to get past the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

Unfortunately for Philadelphia, they came up short once again. After finishing the 2022-2023 regular season with a 54-28 record, the Sixers placed third in the East. In the first round, the Sixers swept the Brooklyn Nets before facing the Boston Celtics in the second round.

While Philadelphia put up a good fight against Boston, they fell flat in Game 7 on the road. Following the matchup, Rivers mentioned there wasn’t any indication that he would move on from the Sixers despite coming up short of expectations.

Although Rivers has two more seasons left on his contract, the Sixers will move on. He ends his stint as the Sixers’ head coach with a 154-82 record in the regular season and a 20-15 record during the playoffs, with three Eastern Conference Semifinals appearances.