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Doc Rivers is out as the Milwaukee Bucks’ head coach, ESPN reported Sunday, citing sources.
Rivers left his broadcasting job to return to the NBA sidelines as the Bucks’ coach shortly after Adrian Griffin was fired 43 games into the 2023-24 season. Now Rivers exits Milwaukee after a 126-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, capping a 32-50 season that ended in a missed NBA playoff berth.
Rivers coached the Bucks to first-round playoff exits in each of the past two seasons.
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Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers looks on against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, Apr 6, 2025. (Stephen Lew/Imagn Images)
The Bucks will now launch their third head coaching search in the past three years. Rivers’ departure comes amid uncertainty surrounding the future of franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks will now launch their third head coaching search in the past three years. Rivers’ departure comes amid uncertainty surrounding the future of franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The NBA trade deadline passed in February without a deal involving Antetokounmpo. The two-time league MVP saw limited action in the 2025-26 season, appearing in a career-low 36 games.
Antetokounmpo dealt with a knee hyperextension and bone bruise during the season. He was later sidelined for a stretch of games, fueling speculation the Bucks shut him down despite his being healthy, prompting an NBA investigation into the handling of the star forward.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and head coach Doc Rivers of the Milwaukee Bucks talk before the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Oct. 28, 2025. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Antetokounmpo’s frustration boiled over as he insisted he was healthy enough to play despite being sidelined for a 10th straight game when Milwaukee faced the Boston Celtics on April 3.
“I’ve never seen a case of a player saying, my caliber of player, that’s like — I’m saying it publicly — I want to f—ing play. You know what I’m saying?” he said, via The Athletic. “I don’t think I’ve seen this. So, if there needs to be an investigation, great. There should be. I don’t know. There should be. Until we figure something out.”
He then said he was “available to play.”
Rivers addressed Antetokounmpo’s comments after the team’s 133-101 loss.
“The tough part about all this is that I’m in the middle, and I have nothing to do with it,” Rivers said. “Coaches don’t decide any of this. The problem with our league is the coaches are the ones sitting out front.
“And we have to sit here and answer this stuff. I think there are two sides to this — I will tell you that — but I don’t want to get too involved in it.”
Rivers added that he didn’t like that the feud had gone “public.”
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers directs traffic his team against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first half at Fiserv Forum on April 5, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Michael McLoone/Imagn Images)
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Antetokounmpo averaged 27.6 points and 9.8 rebounds this season. He was named NBA Finals MVP when he helped the Bucks secure the franchise’s first championship since 1971.
Rivers coached the Celtics to the NBA title in 2008. He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 1983. After retiring as a player, Rivers moved into broadcasting, calling NBA games. In 1999, he was named head coach of the Orlando Magic, a role he held until 2003.
Before returning to the coaching ranks, Rivers was part of ESPN’s lead NBA broadcasting team.
‘ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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