Doc Rivers essentially announces coaching retirement after Bucks firing

The Milwaukee Bucks announced they fired Doc Rivers as head coach a day after the 126-106 season finale loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Days after being let go, the freshly inducted Hall of Famer essentially announced his retirement from coaching.

While guest appearing on the “Bill Simmons Podcast,” presented by The Ringer, Rivers didn’t officially announce his retirement, but his comments certainly alluded to the idea of calling it a career. The 64-year-old former head coach did say “yeah” when asked by Simmons if he thinks he is done coaching.

“Yeah,” said Rivers when asked if he was done with coaching. “We met about, I want to say, seven weeks ago, [with] me and [Bucks] ownership. We had a great meeting. They asked me what I wanted to do… I literally said, ‘Oh, no, no.’ I told my coaches I’m done… I’ve given 40 years, 47 years straight. Like, with no off time. I just wanted a break… I think it was time. I’d be surprised if I coached another game.”

"I think it was time."@BillSimmons asks Doc Rivers if he believes he's done with coaching after stepping down as head coach of the Bucks. pic.twitter.com/NzjkAZ2VPU

— The Ringer (@ringer) April 17, 2026

Milwaukee went 32-50 this season and missed the playoffs entirely in Doc Rivers’ final season as head coach. It was a bit of a drama-filled campaign, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks were consistently involved in the rumor mill. Either way, Rivers and the organization are both going their separate ways.

If this truly is the end for Rivers, then he will end his coaching career with a 1,194-866 career record. He is regarded as one of the top 15 coaches in NBA history, winning an NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008, and being named the Coach of the Year in 2000 with the Orlando Magic.

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