On the heels of the announcement that he’ll be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers hinted that he could be retiring soon. Asked how much longer he envisions coaching, the 64-year-old Rivers told reporters that he has other priorities.
“I won’t answer that, but I have grandkids that I want to see,” Rivers said before Milwaukee’s 96-90 loss against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday (via HoopsHype). “I’ll put it that way. And so I’ll let you figure it out from there. 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.”
This does nothing to quiet the speculation that his days as the coach of the Bucks are numbered. On Sunday, Marc Stein reported that Rivers’ Hall of Fame induction could make it easier for him to either leave Milwaukee or transition to a different role, and that, if he does, former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins is a “likely prime candidate” to replace him.
Rivers has a year left on his contract, though, and he’s not going to simply walk away from the money he’s owed, according to The Athletic. He’ll reportedly meet with ownership and general manager Jon Horst to discuss his future, and that could mean he ends up in the front office rather than on the sidelines. For the first four years of Rivers’ tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers, he was both their coach and their lead executive.
Horst spoke glowingly about Rivers in an interview with The Athletic and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Tuesday, calling him an “unbelievable” partner three separate times. He said he wouldn’t blame Rivers for the team’s record, which fell to 31-48 in Brooklyn.
“I do know it was an incredibly tough year and, in my opinion, Doc did his absolute best to keep the train on the rails as long as possible, and I think it was kind of masterful in a lot of ways,” the GM said. “Did he hit every single thing right? No. Did I? No. But it’s a really challenging year. He was unbelievable to work with throughout the year with it.”
Horst said he wouldn’t comment on Rivers’ contractual situation, but said he has “enjoyed working with him” and they’d sort out Rivers’ future soon.
“I value his input,” Horst said. “I don’t know the outcome; we’re gonna figure it all out. I think we’ll figure it all out pretty quickly and what that looks like going forward. (What) I don’t know yet is the answer. I think we will know, but I don’t know yet.”
