Doc Rivers says his coaching career is officially over, and his next chapter will take place behind the microphone.
The Hall of Fame coach is joining NBC Sports as an NBA analyst, working games across NBC, Peacock and NBCSN this season, with the possibility of also making studio appearances.
After previously returning to coaching following broadcasting stints, Rivers made it clear this time is different.
“I honestly can say I’m absolutely retired,” Rivers told The Associated Press. “I had a long run. It ended up in the [Naismith] Hall of Fame [earlier this year], and I am so thankful that I was able to coach and played as long as I did. For the first time, I can focus on giving TV my 100% attention, which I’m really looking forward to.”
Rivers finishes his coaching career sixth in NBA history with 1,194 wins across 2,059 games. His biggest achievement came with Boston, where he coached the Celtics to the 2008 championship before returning to the NBA Finals two years later.
He also coached Orlando, the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia and Milwaukee.
The move isn’t Rivers’ first venture into broadcasting. He worked for Turner Sports from 1996-99 and had separate stints with ESPN/ABC, including joining Mike Breen and Doris Burke during the 2023-24 season before leaving to take Milwaukee’s head coaching job.
“I don’t take a lot of breaks in my life. I’ve always been around the game, and this is a way of keeping me there,” Rivers told The Associated Press. “When you think about it, I’ve played, I’ve coached, I’ve been in front office, I’ve done TV, I’ve done about everything you can do in our game. And that gives me an interesting perspective, and hopefully I can share that with the viewers.”
His new role also gives him the possibility of working alongside his son, Austin Rivers, who is part of NBC’s NBA coverage.
“With this opportunity, one of the things I thought was I’d love to work with Austin. That would be a lot of fun to be able to work with him,” Rivers said. “It’s funny when you think about half the staff, I’ve either coached or been the father. I had a fight with Reggie, which is even funnier. So it’s pretty cool how connected I am to all the talent.”