Doc Rivers is trading in his whistle for a headset. Fresh off his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this summer, the championship-winning head coach just got a job at his son’s workplace. He is officially joining NBC Sports as a game analyst for the upcoming 2026–27 season across NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN.
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Doc won’t just be the workplace junior to Austin Rivers. The move brings full-circle closure to a story that began 30 years ago.
Following his retirement as an NBA point guard in 1996, Rivers received a broadcast offer from NBC. However, he turned down then-NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol because he could not commit to a full-time television career without keeping the door open to coaching. Three decades later, after putting together one of the most prolific coaching resumes in basketball history, Rivers is finally accepting the gig on his own terms.
“I honestly can say I’m absolutely retired,” Rivers said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I had a long run. It ended up in the Hall of Fame, and I am so thankful that I was able to coach and play as long as I did. For the first time, I can focus on giving TV my 100% attention, which I’m really looking forward to.”
For Rivers, the network transition also offers a unique personal milestone: the chance to work alongside his son, Austin Rivers, who signed with NBC Sports as an analyst following his own 11-year NBA career in 2025. This marks the first time a Hall of Fame coach and his son will work as broadcast analysts for the same network’s NBA coverage.
“With this opportunity, one of the things I thought was I’d love to work with Austin. That would be a lot of fun to be able to work with him,” Rivers noted. “It’s funny when you think about half the staff, I’ve either coached or been the father. I had a fight with Reggie [Miller], which is even funnier. So it’s pretty cool how connected I am to all the talent.”
Austin got to interview his dad last year, which was another viral moment. Rivers also famously had clashes with NBC analysts like Reggie Miller throughout his coaching career.
Rivers stepped down from coaching the Milwaukee Bucks at the end of the 2025-26 regular season, when the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Bucks missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade. As the team went through a major transition, Rivers hit refresh.
“I loved playing the game, I loved coaching it, and I’ve always loved talking about it,” Rivers added in an official press release. “I have great memories working with NBC, and I’m excited to be back and share my perspective alongside such a talented team. This season should be a lot of fun. I can’t wait.”
Rivers brings nearly four decades of premier NBA experience to NBC’s broadcast booth. He spent 27 seasons as an NBA head coach with the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Bucks.
He wrapped up his coaching career ranking sixth all-time in regular-season victories with a 1,194–866 record, while his 114 playoff wins rank fourth in league history behind only Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, and Gregg Popovich.
Named one of the Top 15 Coaches in NBA History during the league’s 75th-anniversary celebration, Rivers previously guided Boston to the 2008 NBA championship.
“We couldn’t be happier to have him back on the NBC Sports team,” said NBC Sports executive producer and president Sam Flood. “Having led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA title with nearly four decades of NBA experience between coaching and playing, we are excited to add another Hall of Famer to our roster.”
Rivers’ television credentials run deep. Before his coaching career took off in Orlando in 1999, he worked as a game analyst for Turner Sports. He later went to ESPN/ABC in 2004 and 2023, and previously joined NBC’s coverage as a studio analyst during the 2012 London Olympics.
As the 2026–27 NBA season prepares to tip off on Tuesday, Oct. 20, on NBC and Peacock, Rivers enters the booth at a time of seismic league realignment. Opening night features a marquee matchup with the defending-champion New York Knicks hosting the Philadelphia 76ers in LeBron James’ 76ers debut.
Looking ahead to the upcoming campaign, Rivers offered a preview of what fans can expect from his analysis:
“When you add Giannis [Antetokounmpo] going to Miami, LeBron going to Philadelphia, Indiana getting healthy, Cleveland a whole year now with [James] Harden and [Donovan] Mitchell—the East is going to be rough this year,” Rivers observed.
“The West, the top two teams are still the top two teams, San Antonio and Oklahoma. There’s two interesting teams: the Lakers, because they have Luka [Doncic], and Denver because they have [Nikola] Jokic… I think the much-watched team of the year will be Minnesota. It could go unbelievably well where [LaMelo] Ball and Ant [Anthony Edwards] figure it out and they play well, or they could struggle. I mean, we just don’t know, but that’s a lot of talent on one team.”
By stepping into the booth alongside his son, Rivers transitions seamlessly from crafting game plans on the sidelines to offering unrivaled perspective for the next era of NBA broadcasting.