Former Sixers Coach Doc Rivers’ Next Potential Move Revealed

What's next for Doc Rivers?

What’s next for former Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers? A recent report suggests that a change in career path could be coming very soon. According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, ESPN is working on acquiring Rivers ahead of the 2023-2024 NBA season.

“ESPN is closing in on promoting Doris Burke to the NBA Finals,” Marchand wrote on Monday. “[They are also working on] hiring Doc Rivers to join her and jettisoning Mark Jackson to the “B” team or off the network. … In the wake of Jeff Van Gundy’s firing in late June, ESPN set their eyes on making Burke the first woman TV analyst on the NBA Finals and hiring Rivers to join Hall of Fame play-by-player, Mike Breen.”

Rivers is no stranger to the broadcast game. Following his run as the head coach of the Orlando Magic, Rivers spent a season as a commentator for NBA on ABC. He joined Al Michaels during the broadcast of the 2004 NBA Finals.

After one season in the broadcast booth, Rivers was back on the floor with the Boston Celtics. Since getting back into the coaching game with the Celtics, Rivers has kept a steady job, running the show with several organizations.

With the Celtics, Rivers coached for nine seasons. During the 2013 offseason, the Celtics traded Rivers to the Los Angeles Clippers for an unprotected 2015 first-round pick. When Rivers joined the Clippers, he came with an impressive resume, which included a championship in 2008 and a Coach of the Year nod in 2000. 

His run with the Clippers lasted seven seasons. During that time, the Clippers missed the playoffs just once and made it beyond the first round three times. Following a disappointing run in the NBA bubble during the 2020 playoffs, Rivers found himself let go by the Clippers.

The Sixers moved quickly to hire Rivers in 2020. At the time, Philadelphia wrapped up a seven-year stint with Brett Brown as the head coach. Philadelphia hoped that Rivers’ two decades of coaching experience, which included winning a title, could help the Sixers get over the second-round hump.

Unfortunately, Rivers couldn’t fulfill the team’s expectations. Through three seasons, the Sixers clinched the playoffs each time under the management of Rivers. While they made it beyond the first round every time, the Sixers fell short before the Eastern Conference Finals for each run. Rivers hoped to see another season in charge beyond the 2023 playoff disappointment, but Philadelphia decided to let him go before hiring Nick Nurse as his replacement.

Since the Sixers called it quits with Rivers, the future Hall of Famer received interest from the Phoenix Suns as a potential Monty Williams replacement. While Rivers was considered a finalist, he reportedly removed himself from the list before the Suns hired Frank Vogel officially.

Rivers’ future as an NBA head coach is unclear. While it’s apparent he won’t be on the sidelines for the 2023-2024 season, it seems the former Sixers head coach will stay close to the game in a different role.