Doc Rivers: 'Joel Is the Most Talented Player That I Ever Coached.'

The words stunned the person on the other side of Doc Rivers' conversation.

Jan 24, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) looks on after a play against the New York Knicks during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA — The words stunned the person on the other side of Doc Rivers' conversation.

"What?!" he replied.

Rivers doubled down.

"I was telling a Hall of Fame player that I coached, 'Joel is the most talented player that I ever coached'," Rivers told reporters ahead of Tuesday's game between the Sixers and Milwaukee Bucks.

Rivers remembers the things that Joel Embiid did in games, amassing effortless 30-point nights en route to three MVP-level seasons under Rivers' lead.

But he recalls the things Embiid did away from the spotlight with greater fondness.

"The things that you guys see and then the things you actually don't see in practice sometimes that he can do, it's incredible. It really is," Rivers said.

But Rivers also remembers the pain. The pain that ailed Embiid when the games were most important. The pain that came from three consecutive disappointing playoff outcomes.

"Unfortunately for me, I never had him healthy once in the playoffs. He wasn't healthy last year. He wasn't healthy the year before. That's five years straight," said Rivers.

He likens it to Groundhog Day. The Sixers have and will always exist in a theoretical space as long as Embiid is on the team. They could theoretically be the toughest team in the east if all goes well. And it isn't difficult to imagine all going well. It takes the best player being at the top of his powers at the most critical times.

But all it takes is one wrong move for the whole thing to crumble. Rivers sees the Sixers' upside, but he's cautious because of the things that have to go right.

"If he ever gets to the playoffs healthy, especially adding some big pieces here, they're going to be a dangerous team. But it's all going to come down to that," he said.

Rivers has eaten at the best restaurants Philadelphia has to offer. He still golfs at Philadelphia Cricket Club. He maintains strong relationships that he built during his time at the Sixers' helm. Rivers remembers his time in Philadelphia quite fondly. He's come and gone on to pastures that are green on some days and brown on other days, ostensibly depending on what's going on with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

And yet, as he returns to Philadelphia for a third time since his firing after the 2023 playoffs, nothing has changed.

It still hinges on what Embiid can do in April.