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Feb 10, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers reacts in the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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Feb 10, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers reacts in the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
The cracks in the Milwaukee Bucks reached a boiling point, and something had to be done. So the head coach, Doc Rivers, is the first domino to fall as he is stepping down from his duties. Issues with the locker room, handling the Giannis Antetokounmpo situation did not go as planned, as reports continued to paint a bad picture amid the disappointing 30-52 campaign.
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The Sunday final regular season game defeat to the 76ers was the final nail in the coffin, as ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news. After taking over in the middle of the 2023–24 season, the expectations were high for another championship in Wisconsin. However, the 64-year-old’s effort was not enough, as the Bucks would have two first-round exits and missed the playoffs and play-in entirely this year. This all happened when Rivers had the Greek Freak in his arsenal.
For the first two years, Giannis was paired with Damian Lillard, but unfortunate injuries to both during different spells would limit their postseason success. So, the front office decided to 180 degree option on this as they stretched and waived the remaining $113 million of Lillard’s contract over the next five seasons. Then the Bucks immediately used the freed-up cap space to sign center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal. But the partnership only featured in 34 games, where Turner scored more than 20 points just twice. This was one of the issues, as the drama inside the locker room kept everyone on their toes.
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BREAKING: Doc Rivers is departing as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, sources tell ESPN. After a 32-50 season, the Bucks will embark on their third coaching search in the last three years. pic.twitter.com/s6YZXKcTi5
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 13, 2026
Rivers admitted that Giannis’s uncertainty crept into the fabric of the locker room in ways that went beyond wins and losses. “Trying to keep this locker room together has been very difficult,” he said on Friday. Again, the issues surrounding the 2x MVP were twofold. First was the entire exit speculation, as Shams Charania’s constant reports suggested that the breakup was imminent. But Doc Rivers even called ESPN’s senior insider recently and stated the discussions were real, but the Bucks were never close to acting on them.
Keeping the Greek Freak on the roster post the February deadline was one thing, but keeping him on the floor was another, which led to a lot of sour results. Since March 15, Giannis has been out with left knee hyperextension and a bone bruise. The Bucks reportedly requested Antetokounmpo to shut himself down for the rest of the season. But the 31-year-old denied it and even asked the NBA to investigate. Another uneventful update emerged when Charania revealed a shocking update about a team meeting on March 2, before the Celtics matchup.
“In that meeting, Doc Rivers implored his team, according to six people in the room,” Charania shared. “Look at my resume and, quote, ‘Google me. I took teams to the playoffs and the championship that weren’t supposed to be there. I thought this was one of them.'” Such incidents overshadowed the grim results this season as Rivers’ streak of 20 seasons in a row, over 500, came to an end.
Doc Rivers hinted at retirement before stepping down
While the tension in Wisconsin remained high, there was one silver lining for the head coach. The 64-year-old will be inducted into the 2026 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, which triggered an emotional response. “I have seven grandkids now, and they’re all eight years and under, and it kills me every time I miss Grandparents’ Day with each one of them in school. It’s probably time to go see them more, so I’ll let you figure out the rest,” said Rivers a few weeks ago.
He might not have the coaching hat for now, but there is another role ready for Doc Rivers. Marc Stein recently stated, “The rising expectation in league coaching circles that Doc Rivers will not be back on the Bucks bench next season… he has one season left on his contract, but they could just make him a consultant; they can find a way to work through that and ask him to do a different role.”
From head coach to consultant, the 64-year-old continues his apparent stay in Wisconsin. So far, there is no update from the now former Bucks head coach about his future role.
