Doc Rivers Says 2 Mystery Teams Tried to Hire Him Before He Took Bucks Job

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said during NBA All-Star Weekend that two teams contacted him this season before he took his current job.

Rachel Nichols of FS1 and Showtime played a clip of her interview with Rivers on Bully Ball, and while Rivers divulged the information, he refused to say which two teams called him:

Rivers noted that he was committed to taking a year off and did not interview with the two teams but was unable to turn down Milwaukee's offer.

The 62-year-old Rivers spent the previous three seasons as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, but they parted ways after failing to get out of the second round of the playoffs in each season.

Rivers seemed poised to sit out the 2023-24 campaign before possibly resurfacing next season, but he was pressed back into action when the Bucks shockingly fired first-year head coach Adrian Griffin despite a 30-13 start.

Assistant Joe Prunty served as the interim head coach for a few games before Rivers' arrival and installation as the full-time head coach last month.

Rivers, who had been serving as a consultant to Griffin, told Nichols that he wasn't given much time to make a decision and ultimately chose to seize the opportunity to be Milwaukee's new head coach.

He joined a team with championship aspirations, as the Bucks have a stacked roster led by two-time NBA MVP and one-time NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, as well as superstar guard Damian Lillard, who they acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers during the offseason.

Milwaukee also boasts Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis, all of whom played pivotal roles when the Bucks won a championship under Mike Budenholzer in 2021.

The Bucks shockingly fired Budenholzer after last season, as they were ousted in the first round of the playoffs despite having the NBA's best record at 58-24.

Milwaukee was lagging behind the first-place Boston Celtics under Griffin, but it still had one of the best records in the league, which made the decision to part ways with him unexpected as well.

Since Rivers' arrival, the Bucks have struggled, going 3-7. That has dropped them to third in the Eastern Conference with a 35-21 record.

The Bucks are 2.5 games behind the second-place Cleveland Cavaliers and 8.5 games behind the first-place Celtics, but they still have the talent needed to win a title.

It is also possible that Rivers is the right man for the job, as he is eighth on the all-time NBA regular-season coaching wins list with 1,100 and fourth on the playoff wins list with 111.

He also led the Celtics to two NBA Finals appearances, including a championship back in 2008.

Rivers has a great résumé, so it wouldn't be a shock if other teams reached out to him, although his coaching future could be in jeopardy if he doesn't turn things around in Milwaukee down the stretch.