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Sixers Reportedly Lose Coach to Doc Rivers’ Milwaukee Bucks

The Philadelphia 76ers lost an assistant to Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Justin Grasso

Mar 30, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers talks to referee Scott Wall (31) against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers talks to referee Scott Wall (31) against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
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The Milwaukee Bucks put together a search for a new head coach just last summer. After taking a chance on Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, the Bucks shocked the hoops world by cutting ties with Nick Nurse’s former assistant just 43 games into the year, despite the Bucks starting the year off by winning nearly 70 percent of their games.

When Griffin parted ways with the Bucks, Milwaukee approached former Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers with an offer to become the replacement. The hiring process moved quickly, and Rivers took over.

Considering Rivers landed in Milwaukee midway through the season, he didn’t get the proper opportunity to conduct a full staff from scratch. That left the Bucks taking on some new assistants this summer.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Rivers will bring in one of Nick Nurse’s assistants from his Philly staff. Jason Love, a Sixers assistant since the Brett Brown era, will take his talents to Milwaukee for the 2024-2025 NBA season.

In 2019, Love joined former Sixers head coach Brett Brown as a player development associate. When Doc Rivers took over the following season, Love landed a small promotion, which kept him on board throughout Rivers’ entire tenure.

While the arrival of Nick Nurse led to many changes on the coaching staff, Love was one of the few coaches to stick around from the Rivers era.

Now, Love goes out to Milwaukee, where he’ll join the Bucks fresh off of a first-round exit. Rivers’ Bucks finished the regular season with a 49-33 record, clinching the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

After drawing a first-round series against the Indiana Pacers, the Bucks struggled to get by them. Losing 4-2, Milwaukee dropped out in the first round for the second-straight season. Next season, Rivers will get an opportunity to coach the Bucks from the start of training camp. The last time he coached a full season was for the Sixers in 2022-2023.

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Justin Grasso

JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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