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MIAMI, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 26: Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers reacts against the Miami Heat during the second half at Kaseya Center on November 26, 2025 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Former Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers won’t be working in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
During his second full season with the Milwaukee Bucks, Rivers dealt with a season full of injuries and trade drama.
While the Bucks were still hoping to get Giannis Antetokounmpo healthy again after holding firm at the trade deadline, the late postseason push was unsuccessful.
Over the weekend, the Milwaukee Bucks were officially eliminated from the NBA Playoffs. Doc Rivers’ reaction to the reality was one that’s quite familiar to Sixers supporters.
Doc Rivers Shares A Familiar Message After Bucks’ Failure
GettyCLEVELAND, OHIO – OCTOBER 26: Head coach Doc Rivers of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on October 26, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
“It’s been disappointing, obviously,” Rivers told reporters, referring to the 2025-2026 season.
“Since I’ve been here, I haven’t had a healthy stretch, and it’s been your key guys. It’s been Giannis. It’s been Dame [Lillard]. And you hope you can play through that, but we just haven’t had the ability. This year, having only one quote-unquote star. Every other team has two and three. We needed health. We were thin. We knew that before the season started and it just didn’t go our way. All the talk and all that stuff probably didn’t help either.”
Rivers’ comments might seem tiring, but in his defense, they aren’t totally off-base.
The Milwaukee front office cut ties with Damian Lillard over the offseason once they realized he was set to miss the entire year due to an Achilles injury.
The Bucks didn’t have another All-Star on the roster, but had two other players making over $20 million for the season in Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner.
At the end of the day, Antetokounmpo’s inability to stay healthy hurt them too much. The MVP-caliber forward has just 36 games to show for with eight games left. After a loss against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Bucks fell to 29-45 on the year.
Doc Rivers Discussing His Sixers Tenure
Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty ImagesBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 28: Doc Rivers of the Milwaukee Bucks signals during the first half of a game against the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden on October 28, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
One example of Rivers making repetitive comments came about when Rivers and the Bucks visited the Sixers back in January.
“Unfortunately for me, I never had [Joel Embiid] healthy once in the playoffs,” Rivers told reporters on January 27. “He wasn’t healthy last year. He wasn’t healthy the year before. That’s five years straight, I think.
There were numerous messages that were similar during and after Rivers’ run as the head coach of the Sixers.
Rivers joined the Sixers following his run with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020. He took over a Joel Embiid-led team and coached several All-Stars, such as Tyrese Maxey, Ben Simmons, and James Harden, during his time.
The Sixers were always a solid regular-season team under Rivers’ management. They won at least 65% of their games in three out of four seasons (62% when they didn’t).
In each of the four playoff runs they had, the Sixers won in the first round. Unfortunately, getting past round two proved to be a major challenge.
Rivers entered Philadelphia with questions regarding his playoff history, and he left with even more than he came with. After back-to-back first-round losses with the Bucks, followed by this year’s pre-NBA Play-In Tournament elimination, Rivers will surely have some heat on him once again.
Justin Grasso Justin Grasso is an NBA reporter, covering trending league news, transactions, injuries, and player developments. He is a credentialed journalist with nearly a decade of insider access. More about Justin Grasso
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