Basketball has always been more than a game for Doc Rivers — it has been an all-consuming addiction.
Rivers once explained how the sport became something no other substance can match while highlighting how it helped turn his talent into a professional career.
Advertisement
“I’ve never used cocaine, but I have no doubt that cocaine cannot give me the same high that I get when I’m playing basketball,” explained Rivers while being interviewed for the 1992 documentary “More than a Game.”
An addict’s hunger
Every street baller knows the feeling: no matter how tired, you’re always determined to play just one more game — even a short one until seven points will do. The next day, aching legs and all, you’d do it all over again, the desire sometimes even more intense.
Advertisement
Although making such comparisons often risks trivializing the issue, that drive in many ways mirrors the behavior of an addict and Rivers admitted it rang true for him in his younger years.
Rivers said he hadn’t touched drugs like cocaine for reference, yet he felt he didn’t need to. After all, as the Milwaukee Bucks head coach noted, nothing could match the “tremendous feeling” he got when competing on the basketball court.
Rivers explained that the rush didn’t come solely from winning — it came from putting in the work and feeling the sweat. The 2000 Coach of the Year noted that intensity often didn’t surface in blowout games, which he hated. He much preferred tight two-point battles where every possession mattered.
Advertisement
The rush of basketball beats any drug
For Rivers, the addictive pull of basketball was hard to define — something deep inside, he said, that only playing the game could satisfy. He even remarked that if he could bottle that feeling, it would be the “best drug on earth,” far stronger than “cocaine or any of these other drugs.”
Advertisement
What Rivers did know was that it sharpened his competitive instincts, even when playing alone in the gym.
“You’re having a shooting game with yourself and it is so intense that you can feel it. It’s an amazing feeling of release, of joy, of pain. It’s just a great feeling that only basketball players can feel or only competitive basketball players,” he said.
He added that in team settings, he also stood out by doing whatever it took to get the win.
Advertisement
“If I have to hit you in the face to win, I’m going to hit you in the face. If I have to run and dive on the floor, I’m going to run and dive on the floor,” Doc explained, noting that chasing the rush basketball helped him refine his game and ultimately pushed him to go pro in 1983.
It’s safe to say that Rivers’ game reflected the impact of those early streetball sessions, with every possession met with nothing less than full commitment. Even after playing 13 years in the NBA, his love for the game didn’t wane. After retiring, the former 6’4″ point guard transitioned to coaching and today, more than 25 years later, he continues to thrive, most recently guiding the Bucks to an NBA Championship cup win.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.