Former 76ers Coach Reveals Multiple Teams Reached Out After Firing

Following a second-round exit in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers made a critical change by shaking up the coaching staff. By moving on from Doc Rivers after three seasons, the Sixers’ staff saw a shakeup after they brought in Nick Nurse to take over.

Rivers’ next move was unclear, but it was apparent he might consider one of the open jobs at the time of his firing. Five teams needed a head coach. It was clear the Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, and Toronto Raptors had their sights set somewhere else.

Meanwhile, Rivers was linked to the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns openings. The Bucks decided to take a gamble on a rookie head coach and hired Adrian Griffin out of Toronto. Rivers was a finalist for the Phoenix job, but the Suns chose former LA Lakers coach Frank Vogel.

At that point, Rivers returned to the broadcast table. Joining ESPN for the 2023-2024 NBA season, it seemed Rivers would serve as a commentator for the entire year. However, the Bucks made a shocking decision to part ways with Griffin before reaching the All-Star break.

When Milwaukee decided to call it quits with Griffin, they reached out to Rivers and quickly named him the next head coach of the franchise.

According to Rivers, the Bucks weren’t the only team to reach out this year.

Catching up with Showtime’s Rachel Nichols at All-Star Weekend, Rivers revealed that two teams had interest in potentially luring him in, even though he wanted to take the season off from coaching.

On Open Run, Doc Rivers tells me that before the Bucks even called him, two other teams had tried to lure him out of the broadcast booth: “I had committed to taking a year off. I had two other teams that had already called during the season that we wouldn’t even take the… pic.twitter.com/3iBleLATyQ
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) February 18, 2024

“This was not in my plans. I had committed to taking a year off. I had two other teams that had already called during the season,” Rivers claimed. “We wouldn’t even take the interview.”

When it came to the Sixers’ Eastern Conference rival, the Bucks, though, Rivers moved quickly to take over Griffin’s chair.

“When this one came about I thought, just the fact it was the team’s from where I went to school at, and the type of team,” he finished. “It was just a lot. They put me on the clock. It’s not like I had a week to decide.”

Who were the two teams that apparently attempted to bring in Rivers? The Bucks coach wouldn’t say. At this point, it doesn’t really matter, as Milwaukee reportedly banked big on Rivers with a notable contract following the Mike Budenholzer-Adrian Griffin run.

In Philadelphia, Rivers found a lot of success during the regular season but didn’t have the answers to help the Sixers get beyond the second round. Three years in a row, the Sixers dropped out in the second round. At this point, they are hoping Nurse can help coach them out of the jam. Meanwhile, Rivers still has a lot of work to do as he attempts to keep the Bucks on a winning path.