Doc Rivers Reveals Why He Nearly Quit as Clippers Coach After 6 Days in 2013

Doc Rivers' tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers was almost laughably short. 

In an extensive interview with Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times, Rivers revealed he nearly quit as the head coach of the Clippers one week into his tenure in 2013. He threatened to quit when then-team owner Donald Sterling attempted to cancel a three-team deal that brought JJ Redick to Los Angeles.

"I was on the job for six days and I quit. The deal went through and everyone said it was a great deal. I flew back home to Orlando for a couple of days and I got a call from [former Clippers president] Andy Roeser saying Donald Sterling decided he didn't want to do the deal. I said, 'What do you mean? The deal is already done. JJ is a free agent. He backed out of a deal to sign with us. If we don't do this deal, we'll never get another free agent. It's our word.'"

Rivers went on to say he told Sterling over the phone he would quit if the trade didn't happen. It eventually did, and Rivers is now preparing to enter his seventh season as the coach of the Clippers.

Sterling went as far as to tell Rivers, "You can't quit, you signed a five-year deal, I'll make sure you don't coach anywhere," but the head coach pointed to his own reputation and how important it was the Clippers didn't back out on Redick after the deal had been reached.

Los Angeles acquired Redick in a sign-and-trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, and the sharpshooter agreed to a four-year, $28 million deal. He could have signed elsewhere but didn't, and his options would have been more limited if the deal fell through because of Sterling's interjections.

Redick played on the Clippers for four seasons as a three-point shooter who consistently took advantage of open space created by playing alongside Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

He is one reason Rivers has made the playoffs in five of his six years with the Clippers.

Plenty has changed since Steve Ballmer bought the Clippers after Sterling was ousted in 2014, including a focus on separating themselves from the other team in town. Rivers told Markazi he wanted the team to cover the Los Angeles Lakers' championship banners during Clippers home games in Staples Center but did not get his wish.

"The response I got was ridiculous," he said. "They told me, 'We can't do that, they would be mad at us.' That was their response, and I said, 'OK, so? They're the opponent. The opponent should never be happy with you.' It was amazing."

Separating from the Lakers (and the NHL's L.A. Kings) is one reason Rivers feels it is so important for the Clippers to play in a new arena in Inglewood, California, that is scheduled to open in 2024.

"The arena is a must," Rivers said. "We're the third tenant in our arena. ... We have one stretch this season where we go on the road for five games, come back for one, and are back on the road for five. No one else does that. Just in that alone, we need the separation."

There might not be much separation between the two teams atop the Western Conference standings this season.

The Lakers added Anthony Davis to a roster featuring LeBron James, while the Clippers will feature Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. They could be headed for a Western Conference Finals showdown if both teams play up to expectations.