Sixers' Doc Rivers Praises NFL Legend Tom Brady

Hours before the Philadelphia 76ers tipped off against the Sacramento Kings this past Saturday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that future Hall of

Hours before the Philadelphia 76ers tipped off against the Sacramento Kings this past Saturday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that future Hall of Famer Tom Brady was hanging up his cleats and retiring from football.

Not too long after the story broke, Brady's father and agent disputed the news and mentioned that the veteran quarterback hadn't made up his mind yet regarding his future. Typically, it's obvious when longtime veteran quarterbacks are ready to hang it up. For Brady, though, the idea the 44-year-old might play another season wasn't exactly far-fetched.

But there were hints the seven-time Super Bowl champion could call it a career sooner than later. And prior to the Sixers' Monday night matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, Philadelphia head coach Doc Rivers, who coached the Boston Celtics during a time when Brady quarterbacked for the New England Patriots, praised the eventual Hall of Fame inductee.

"I'll wait until he actually says it and does it [before fully reacting]," said Rivers on Monday night ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies matchup. "Obviously, I've gotten to know him a bit -- not great -- but I've been around him a couple of times. I don't know if it's time or not, but he had one hell of a career."

Rivers couldn't say much about Brady's retirement on Monday as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback had yet to make it official. However, on Tuesday morning, Brady took to Twitter to officially break the news himself.

After 22 seasons in the NFL, Tom Brady will call it a career. The former Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback will enter retirement as a seven-time Super Bowl champion, five-time Super Bowl MVP, three-time NFL MVP, and a 15-time Pro Bowler.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.