76ers' Joel Embiid Was 'Shocked' By Doc Rivers Firing, Daryl Morey Says

When the Philadelphia 76ers made the decision to fire head coach Doc Rivers on Monday after the team's Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the Boston Celtics, they evidently caught their franchise centerpiece by surprise.

Sixers general manager Daryl Morey told reporters on Wednesday that star center and reigning 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid was "shocked with the change" but said he hopes to convince the big man that the next coach will be the right person for the job.

"It's my job to convince him that the new coach will have a great relationship with him as well," Morey said of Embiid.

The Sixers let Rivers go after he led the team to a loss in the conference semifinals in each of his three seasons as head coach. Philadelphia held a 3-2 series lead over Boston before dropping the last two games, losing Sunday's Game 7 in demoralizing fashion with a 24-point blowout.

After the loss, Embiid spoke glowingly about Rivers and commended him for navigating a tumultuous 2021-22 season that saw the team trade a disgruntled Ben Simmons to bring in James Harden.

"As far as my coach, I think he's done a fantastic job," Embiid said. "We've gotten better over the years. I think he's done a great job. I don't make the decisions. I think he should be fine. We've got a great relationship. You look at the way he handled the whole situation that we had a year or two ago, I thought he kept the team afloat. He's been a great leader for all of us, a great motivator."

Despite Rivers' strong relationship with Embiid, it wasn't enough to help Philadelphia achieve some elusive playoff success. The franchise has not made it to a conference finals series since the 2000-01 season.

It will now be up to Morey to find someone to appease Embiid, but to also help the Sixers establish themselves as true title contenders.