Doc Rivers

Lore & Background

Rivers played college basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles and was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 1983 NBA draft. He played point guard for the Hawks from 1983 to 1991 and was later a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, and San Antonio Spurs. Rivers was an All-Star with the Hawks in 1988. After retiring as a player in 1996, Rivers called games for the NBA on TNT.

Rivers began his NBA coaching career in 1999. He was the head coach of the Orlando Magic from 1999 to 2003, the Boston Celtics from 2004 to 2013, the Los Angeles Clippers from 2013 to 2020, the Philadelphia 76ers from 2020 to 2023, and the Milwaukee Bucks from 2024 to 2026. Rivers was named the 2000 NBA Coach of the Year in his first season with the Magic and won an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2008. He was also an analyst for ESPN.

In April 2026, he was announced as a coaching inductee to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and will formally enter the Hall that August.

Reader's Guide

Rivers remains the Atlanta Hawks' all-time leader in assists with 3,866.

Did You Know?

• Rivers was a McDonald's All-American for Proviso East High School in the Chicago metropolitan area.
• He was given his nickname while attending a summer basketball camp at Marquette University while wearing a 'Dr. J' t-shirt of Philadelphia 76ers player Julius Erving.
• Rivers recorded a career-high 21 assists in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 4, 1986.
• He received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1990.
• Rivers played for the United States national team during the 1982 FIBA World Championship and was named tournament MVP.