Doc Rivers Comments On His Future As A Coach In The NBA

Back in 1999, Doc Rivers made his debut as a Head Coach in the NBA with the Orlando Magic following 12 seasons in the league as a player, with the NBA having high expectations for him in the role. Since then, he's coached in 2,057 regular season games for the Magic, Celtics, Clippers, 76ers and eventually, the Milwaukee Bucks, who he has coached since the 2023/24 season.

Unfortunately, his tenure with the Bucks has been less stellar that most had hoped and expected, with the team going 31-48 in 2025/26 as they have already been eliminated from the NBA Playoffs. As a result, there's been plenty of backlash for the 64-year old veteran, with many calling for the end of his NBA career after a failed tenure in Philadelphia followed by his current run in Milwaukee.

Now, Rivers has addressed his future, and while an official retirement announcement hasn't yet come, it appears as though he's hinting at it in a big way.

“I have grandkids that I want to see… It’s probably time to go see them more, so I’ll let you figure out the rest.”

As of right now, this is the clearest hint yet that Rivers could be coming to the end of his role as a coach in the NBA, and given that he's not made a conference finals since 2011/12, it certainly makes sense.

Ultimately, Rivers spot in NBA history and his reputation are very tricky to navigate, but with an NBA Championship and years of solid regular seasons under his belt, when his retirement does come, hopefully he looks back on his career very fondly.