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Doc Rivers out as Milwaukee Bucks coach, per report
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- Doc Rivers out as Milwaukee Bucks coach, per report
For the third time in as many seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly looking for a new coach.
According to ESPN, Doc Rivers is out as coach of the Bucks. This comes as Milwaukee ended its disappointing season Sunday, April 12 with a 20-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers to fall to 32-50. Per ESPN, Rivers and the franchise are discussing a potential move to an advisory role for the front office.
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Speaking to reporters after the loss, Rivers made it sound as though an official announcement from the team would be imminent.
"I can tell you we're all on the same page," Rivers said. "We've talked about it, and we want it out pretty quick. I just want them to do it, it's better. But I think you guys pretty much know."
Rivers, who just last week was officially honored as an inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 , will end his tenure in Milwaukee with a 97-103 record.
On Tuesday, April 7, Rivers had hinted that he was strongly considering stepping down from his post.
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"I won't answer that, but I have grandkids that I want to see," Rivers told reporters when asked about his future prior to Milwaukee's eventual 96-90 loss to the Nets . "I'll put it that way. I'll let you figure it out from there."
The Bucks failed to live up to expectations as the team dealt with injuries to star Giannis Antetokounmpo and last playoff's torn Achilles to Damian Lillard . Milwaukee opted to waive and stretch Lillard in July 2025, signaling something of a transitional state for the roster.
Rivers took over for Adrian Griffin midway through the 2023-24 season. Griffin was in his first season coaching the Bucks and had led the team to a 30-13 record to start the season, but was fired after just 43 games . Rivers eventually took over, but Milwaukee was bounced in the first round of the playoffs that season, in six games against the rival Indiana Pacers .
Last season, the Bucks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, once again at the hands of Indiana.
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This was a frustrating season for Milwaukee, which also had to face swirling rumors about Antetokounmpo's future with the Bucks.
"It didn't go the way I wanted it to go obviously," Rivers said. "I always say I could do a better job, we could've had better health. We could've had all kinds of things. But, I'm not a big guy looking back. All you can do is look forward. We did a lot of things to improve a lot of the young guys. Unfortunately, that was kind of the role that presented itself for us and we did that."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Doc Rivers out as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks
