Bucks coach Doc Rivers went 97-103 in his three seasons with the team.
Doc Rivers will no longer serve as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, the team announced today.
“I have truly loved my time in Milwaukee,” Rivers said in a statement released by the team. “Coming back to where I got my start, to a city that has always embraced me, has been a privilege.
“I am disappointed that things did not turn out the way any of us hoped, but I am deeply grateful for this experience, the relationships built, and unwavering support from our fans and the community. Milwaukee will always mean a lot to me, and this chapter will hold a special place in my heart.”
The announcement comes a day after the Bucks ended a 32-50 season that snapped their run of nine straight playoff appearances. The release announcing Rivers’ departure as coach didn’t indicate whether he might have any role with the team moving forward.
Doc Rivers has stepped down as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. pic.twitter.com/yjesvLVPOW
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 13, 2026
ESPN first reported that Rivers won’t be back as Milwaukee’s coach next season.
The news caps a tumultuous season in which Rivers was selected to the Hall of Fame while leading a Bucks team that was among the most disappointing in the NBA. The Bucks went 32-50 amid a series of injuries, snapping a string of nine straight playoff appearances.
Rivers went 97-103 in 2 1/2 seasons with the Bucks. He owns a 1,194-866 overall record and overtook George Karl for sixth place on the career wins list among NBA coaches earlier this season.
The 64-year-old Rivers had left little doubt about his future plans as the season wound down. He said after a 126-106 loss at Philadelphia on Sunday that “I think you guys pretty much know” his intentions and that an announcement was expected soon.
“I have seven grandkids now and they’re all 8 years and under,” Rivers had said about his future before an April 7 loss at Brooklyn. “And it kills me every time I miss grandparents’ day with each one of them in school. And it’s probably time to go see them more. So, I’ll let you figure out the rest.”
Only Gregg Popovich, Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Jerry Sloan and Pat Riley have more coaching wins than Rivers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has not been in the Bucks' lineup since March 15.
Rivers’ exit comes amid all sorts of speculation regarding two-time Kia MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who led Milwaukee to its first title in half a century in 2021 and has set Bucks career records in virtually every major statistical category.
Antetokounmpo’s status dominated league discussions as the trade deadline approached, but he wasn’t dealt. He has since been in a disagreement with team management over his injury status.
The last game Antetokounmpo played this season was on March 15. Antetokounmpo said in the closing weeks of the season that he was healthy and wanted to play, as the Bucks continued to rule him out due to a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise. The NBA is investigating the matter.
Antetokounmpo had two extended absences due to right calf strains and played in just 36 games. Kevin Porter Jr., the Bucks’ second-leading scorer, appeared in just 38 games.
“It’s hard,” Rivers said Sunday. “I don’t remember guys being out like this, but it makes sense. I haven’t had a lot of this. It’s no fun. Losing, I don’t give a crap what the reasons are, I’m just too competitive. It’s just no fun not winning. It just isn’t.”
Rivers took over the Bucks midway through the 2023-24 season after the firing of first-year head coach Adrian Griffin. Although the Bucks had gone 30-13 under Griffin, they’d posted some uncomfortably close wins over inferior teams and team officials believed a more experienced coach was needed to guide a roster that now featured seven-time all-NBA guard Damian Lillard, as well as Antetokounmpo.
This move also represented a homecoming of sorts for Rivers, who played at Marquette before his 13-year NBA playing career. His No. 31 college jersey hangs from the rafters at Fiserv Forum, the arena that serves as the site for Bucks and Marquette home games.
But the Bucks backslid during Rivers’ tenure, continually dealing with injuries to key players.
Milwaukee finished 17-19 under Rivers during that 2023-24 season, entered the postseason as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and lost to Indiana 4-2 in the opening round, with Antetokounmpo missing the entire series due to a calf strain.
Last season, three-time All-Star wing Khris Middleton didn’t start playing until early December after recovering from offseason surgery to each of his ankles, and he got sent to Washington at the trade deadline. Lillard missed Milwaukee’s final 14 regular-season games due to deep vein thrombosis in his right calf, returned for Game 2 of the Bucks’ first-round playoff series loss to Indiana but tore his Achilles tendon two games later.
With an injured Lillard unable to play this season, the Bucks waived him and agreed to pay his remaining salary over the next five seasons. That opened up cap space for the Bucks to sign former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner.
The roster overhaul didn’t work out.
“I personally have enjoyed the challenge,” Rivers said after Sunday’s game. “It didn’t go the way I wanted it to go, obviously. I always say I could do a better job. We could have had better health. We could have had all kinds of things. But I’m not a big guy in looking back. All you can do is look forward.”
Rivers won a title with Boston in 2008 and led the Celtics to Game 7 of the NBA Finals two years later, but he hasn’t advanced a team beyond the regional semifinals since. He owns a career playoff record of 114-112.
This marks the first full season in which Rivers has coached and posted a losing record since 2006-07, when he went 24-58 with Boston.
Rivers came to Milwaukee after head coaching stints with the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, LA Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers. He was working as a broadcaster for ESPN and ABC before the Bucks hired him.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
