Doc Rivers Says James Harden Relationship 'Pretty Much Neutral' at End of 76ers Stint
Former Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers said his relationship with guard James Harden at the end of his tenure was "pretty much neutral" when asked about it by ESPN's Malika Andrews during Wednesday's edition of NBA Today.
"It wasn't bad, it wasn't good, it was pretty much neutral," Rivers said.
"You know, it was an honest relationship at the end of the day. I was very honest. I really believe there's ways you have to play to win, and you know obviously I was never willing to compromise on that. Never will be. But it was a relationship of communication. I can tell you we talked when we needed to talk all the time. And so in that part of it, it was pretty good."
In May, the 76ers parted ways with Rivers, who will work as ESPN and ABC's NBA game analyst alongside and play-by-play man Mike Breen and fellow commentator Doris Burke, after three seasons with the team.
Harden remains with Philadelphia but has since requested a trade.
Rivers has offered public comments about his relationship with Harden before, and they haven't been wholly positive. He notably said last June during a chat on the Bill Simmons Podcast that coaching Harden was "challenging" because the two did not see eye-to-eye on how to play the game (1:01:13 mark).
"It was challenging, more because we were fighting two things—and not like visually fighting—it was James is so good at playing one way, and the way I believe you have to play to win, in some ways, is different," Rivers said.
"Because it's a lot of giving up the ball, moving the ball, coming back to the ball. I would have loved to have him younger, when that was easier for him because giving up the ball and getting back the ball is hard. It's physical, it's exhausting."
Before Rivers went on the record about his relationship, there were rumors of issues between he and Harden.
"The Harden-Doc Rivers thing was never great," ESPN's Ramona Shelburne said during an appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic last May (h/t Matt John of heavy.com).
"There was a lot behind it. There was this team meeting I had heard about where Doc tried to say something about (Harden) going out on the road and how does that look, and how does that look to your teammates. If you're going to do that, you've really got to show up in the game. There was a lot of trying to hold James accountable in certain ways."
Harden joined Philadelphia via trade from the Brooklyn Nets in Feb. 2022. He and Rivers were only together for 79 games over two seasons. Both of their postseasons ended in second-round defeats.
Both men have had plenty of success during their assured Hall of Fame careers. Harden, a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary team, is a 10-time All-Star, three-time scoring champion and one-time MVP. Rivers, who was named one of the NBA's top 15 all-time head coaches, has been to the playoffs 19 times since first becoming a head coach in 1999. He's also won an NBA title with the 2007-08 Boston Celtics.
However, it didn't work out with Rivers and Harden together for whatever reasons, and now both sides have moved on.
