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The Milwaukee Bucks made headlines on January 23 when they fired first-time head coach Adrian Griffin, and The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on X that Doc Rivers is considered “a serious candidate” to replace Griffin.
Rivers, 62, last coached for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2023. Rivers, who has a lifetime 1,097-763 record, is one of the most decorated coaches in NBA history, having won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and the NBA’s Coach of the Year award in 2000 with the Orlando Magic. He has not found the same success since leaving the Celtics in 2013 but has coached several contenders.
Since his firing, Rivers has been an analyst for ESPN.
Doc Rivers Served as ‘Informal Consultant’ for Bucks
Charania gave more details about the Bucks potentially hiring Rivers in a January 23 report with Sam Amick and Eric Nehm. Charania wrote that the Bucks had already hired Rivers in some capacity.
“League sources say Doc Rivers, who signed on as an ESPN analyst after getting fired by Philadelphia in May, began to serve as an informal consultant to Griffin at the behest of the Bucks. One month later, multiple sources briefed on the matter now indicate that Rivers is the serious leader for the now-vacant position and the preferred choice of key stakeholders,” Charania, Amick and Nehm wrote.
The report noted that while Milwaukee tries to work out a deal with Rivers, the Bucks have another candidate in mind in case negotiations go awry.
“The Bucks have started discussions with Rivers to become the new head coach of the franchise, league sources said. Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, who was a runner-up to Griffin in the Bucks’ head coaching search last year, is a candidate for the job as well if the team is unable to secure a deal with Rivers,” The Athletic wrote.
Atkinson previously coached the Brooklyn Nets before the Nets fired him in 2020. Atkinson had his next job lined up with the Charlotte Hornets before he backed out to stay with the Golden State Warriors.
Joe Prunty to Take Over as Interim Head Coach
After Griffin’s firing, the Bucks have promoted Joe Prunty to be their interim head coach, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who was the first to report Griffin’s firing.
This is not the first time the Bucks have vaulted Prunty to their interim head coach. After firing Jason Kidd as head coach in 2018, Prunty served as interim head coach for the rest of the season. The Bucks then hired Mike Budenholzer as Kidd’s replacement the following season. Though he will call the shots, Prunty may not have the job for long, considering the reports about Rivers.
However, Wojnarowski reported that though the Bucks want Rivers, the two sides have not discussed anything regarding a deal.
“Doc Rivers is a top Milwaukee target to replace Adrian Griffin, but the sides have yet to talk. Bucks are expected to reach out and gauge his interest soon,” Wojnarowski reported on January 23.
If neither Rivers nor Atkinson works out, Prunty could keep the job going forward.
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