MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks have confirmed that they hired Doc Rivers as their new head coach.
Rivers becomes the 18th head coach in team history, and the confirmation comes after firing Adrian Griffin 43 games into the season on Tuesday.
The Bucks officially welcomed him Saturday morning at Fiserv Forum.
In a statement Friday night, Bucks general manager Jon Horst said:
“Doc is a proven, extraordinary leader and communicator during his renowned NBA coaching career. As a championship coach, he’s widely respected as an established innovator, and the right coach to lead our experienced and talented team. I want to thank our owners, Wes Edens, Jimmy and Dee Haslam and Jamie Dinan, for their unwavering commitment to winning. It’s a pleasure to welcome Doc to the Bucks.”
Bucks co-owners Wes Edens, Jimmy and Dee Haslam and Jamie Dinan added that they're "excited" to bring Rivers to Milwaukee.
"Doc's extensive coaching experience and winning leadership qualities make him the ideal choice to maximize our potential," the group adds.
Rivers says "This is a great opportunity to come to a first-class organization with a team that has a talented roster of high-character players."
He returns to Milwaukee, where he played at Marquette from 1980 to 1983 and his number 31 jersey hangs in the rafters at Fiserv Forum.
"It’s amazing to come home to Milwaukee where at Marquette I learned the game of basketball from Rick Majerus, Al McGuire, and Hank Raymonds," Rivers adds. "Now, I’m excited to get started with the Bucks.”
Rivers was named the 1999-00 NBA Coach of the Year when he was with the Orlando Magic. He won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008, and in 15 of his last 16 seasons as a head coach, he has led his team to the playoffs.
Most recently, Rivers was head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers where he went 154-82 in the regular season from 2020-23, making the playoffs all three years.
In the regular season, Rivers has a 1,097-763 record, and is one win behind Larry Brown (1,098) for eighth on the NBA's all-time regular season win list.
Rivers was also named one of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA history in 2022 by a panel of 43 current and former NBA head coaches along with the National Basketball Coaches Association. His 1,208 combined regular season and playoff wins as a head coach are eighth-most in league history.
