Doc Rivers Sends Message to 76ers, Philly Fans After Exit

The Philadelphia 76ers are moving on from their head coach Doc Rivers. On Tuesday, the team made the decision final, as Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey made a statement on his decision to part ways with Rivers and search for a new leader.

“Doc is one of the most successful coaches in NBA history, a future Hall of Famer, and someone I respect immensely,” Morey wrote. “We’re grateful for all he did in his three seasons here and thank him for the important impact he made on our franchise. After having the chance to reflect upon our season, we decided that certain changes are necessary to further our goals of competing for a championship.”

When the Sixers hired Rivers in 2020, he was coming off of a seven-year run with the Los Angeles Clippers. At the time, Rivers was the first head coach Morey hired as he became the team’s President of Basketball Operations following a stint with the Houston Rockets.

From the jump, Morey and Rivers made it clear that the plan was to help the Sixers win an NBA title. Although they made it as far as the Eastern Conference Semifinals over the last three seasons, the Sixers came up short every time.

This season, the Sixers went head-to-head with the Boston Celtics for seven games in the second round. Despite having a 3-2 lead going into Game 6, the Sixers dropped the ball at home and allowed the Celtics to force a Game 7.

Although Rivers and the Sixers seemed prepared to battle it out for Game 7, the scoreboard said otherwise. A blowout loss led many to believe that Rivers might’ve coached his final game in Philadelphia. While Rivers mentioned he planned to finish out the final two years on his contract after the game, the writing was on the wall.

Now, the future Hall of Famer is a free agent once again. Hours after the Sixers announced they would move on from Rivers, the head coach released a statement of his own.

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— Doc Rivers (@DocRivers) May 16, 2023

“I really enjoyed my time in Philadelphia. What a great city. I want to start by thanking my staff, the players, and the ownership group for their support. We got a lot done in a short amount of time. I’d also like to thank the 76ers fans. Whew… You guys are tough, and I think you’ve learned I’m tough too. I absolutely love your commitment to the city and its teams — never lose that. I wanted, just as badly as you, to bring another championship to Philadelphia. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to lead, to learn, and to love this great city.”

Doc Rivers leaves the Sixers with a 154-82 record over the span of three regular seasons. In the playoffs, the Sixers achieved a 20-15 record during that span, winning a first-round series every time.

Unfortunately, Philadelphia’s second-round struggles continued under Rivers’ management. Three years after his hiring, the team decided that they needed a new voice in the locker room.

The Sixers join a few teams in searching for a head coach and already have more than five candidates on their radar. It could take some time before the Sixers land their next head coach.