Bucks part ways with Doc Rivers after NBA playoff miss: report

Doc Rivers is retired arsenic the Milwaukee Bucks’ caput coach, ESPN reported Sunday, citing sources.

Rivers near his broadcasting occupation to instrumentality to the NBA sidelines arsenic the Bucks’ manager soon aft Adrian Griffin was fired 43 games into the 2023-24 season. Now Rivers exits Milwaukee aft a 126-106 nonaccomplishment to the Philadelphia 76ers connected Sunday, capping a 32-50 play that ended successful a missed NBA playoff berth.

Rivers coached the Bucks to first-round playoff exits successful each of the past 2 seasons.

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Apr 6, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Milwaukee Bucks caput manager Doc Rivers looks connected against the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2nd fractional astatine Smoothie King Center. (Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)

The Bucks volition present motorboat their 3rd caput coaching hunt successful the past 3 years. Rivers’ departure comes amid uncertainty surrounding the aboriginal of franchise prima Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Milwaukee Bucks caput manager Doc Rivers addresses the media successful a property league during signifier anterior to the Emirates NBA Cup semi-finals astatine T-Mobile Arena. (Kyle Terada/Imagn Images)

The NBA commercialized deadline passed successful February without a woody involving Antetokounmpo. The two-time league MVP saw constricted enactment successful the 2025-26 season, appearing successful a career-low 36 games.

Antetokounmpo dealt with a genu hyperextension and bony bruise during the season. He was aboriginal sidelined for a agelong of games, fueling speculation the Bucks unopen him down contempt his being healthy, prompting an NBA probe into the handling of the prima forward.

Antetokounmpo’s vexation boiled implicit arsenic helium insisted helium was steadfast capable to play contempt being sidelined for a 10th consecutive crippled erstwhile Milwaukee faced the Boston Celtics connected April 3.

"I’ve ne'er seen a lawsuit of a subordinate saying, my caliber of player, that’s similar — I’m saying it publically — I privation to f---ing play. You cognize what I’m saying?" helium said, via The Athletic. "I don’t deliberation I’ve seen this. So, if determination needs to beryllium an investigation, great. There should be. I don’t know. There should be. Until we fig thing out."

He past said helium was "available to play."

Rivers addressed Antetokounmpo’s comments aft the team’s 133-101 loss.

"The pugnacious portion astir each this is that I’m successful the middle, and I person thing to bash with it," Rivers said. "Coaches don’t determine immoderate of this. The occupation with our league is the coaches are the ones sitting retired front. 

"And we person to beryllium present and reply this stuff. I deliberation determination are 2 sides to this — I volition archer you that — but I don’t privation to get excessively progressive successful it."

Giannis Antetokounmpo and caput manager Doc Rivers of the Milwaukee Bucks speech earlier the 3rd 4th against the New York Knicks astatine Fiserv Forum successful Milwaukee, Wisconsin, connected Oct. 28, 2025. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Rivers added that helium didn’t similar that the feud had gone "public."

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Antetokounmpo averaged 27.6 points and 9.8 rebounds this season. He was named NBA Finals MVP erstwhile helium helped the Bucks unafraid the franchise’s archetypal title since 1971.

Rivers coached the Celtics to the NBA rubric successful 2008. He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks successful 1983. After retiring arsenic a player, Rivers moved into broadcasting, calling NBA games. In 1999, helium was named caput manager of the Orlando Magic, a relation helium held until 2003.

Before returning to the coaching ranks, Rivers was portion of ESPN’s pb NBA broadcasting team.

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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