The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame made it official on April 4: Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers is part of the 2026 class.
The news had leaked out earlier in the week when ESPN reported that Rivers was among those voted for induction. The hall of fame ceremony will be in August.
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“I’ve done a lot,” Rivers said on April 1 after ESPN’s report. “The numbers are the numbers.
“It’s not, I swear, why I got into this. Honestly, man, it’s the relationships. It’s the people. Even from the day I was nominated. The calls, I couldn’t even tell you … hundreds of player calls. And some of the calls have been amazing, because I thought they didn’t like me anymore.
“Seriously. Just because you get respect … you have falling-outs with players. And you don’t ever worry about it. That’s just part of it, as a coach. It’s been amazing how many people that have reached out. It’s again made me feel really good about just doing what I do.”
Rivers, who played at Marquette before a long NBA career, is getting inducted as a coach. He is in his 27th season as an NBA coach, also having stints with the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers.
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Rivers is 1,192-863 for his career, and 95-100 in his two-plus seasons with the Bucks. He won coach of the year with the Magic for the 1999-2000 season, and the NBA title with the Celtics in 2008.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers in 2026 basketball hall of fame class