Who is Doc Rivers? Legendary Milwaukee Bucks coach climbs NBA history with milestone win and Hall-of-Fame legacy

Doc Rivers, the coach of the Bucks, moved up to sixth place on the NBA's all-time number of coaching victories after Milwaukee defeated Charlotte 123-113 on Monday night. Rivers broke a tie with George Karl to win for the 1,176th time in his 27th season with his fifth team. Doc Rivers is a professional basketball player and coach from the United States.

In 2008, he guided the Boston Celtics to a National Basketball Association (NBA) title as head coach. He coached the Orlando Magic to three NBA Playoff berths as head coach before joining the Boston Celtics. On October 13, 1961, Doc Rivers was born in Chicago, Illinois. He played and attended Marquette University.

Doc Rivers brings decades of coaching experience, a 2008 NBA title, and multiple playoff runs across four franchises

The head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks is Glenn "Doc" Rivers. Rivers took over as the Bucks' 18th head coach on January 26, 2024. Coach Rivers guided the Philadelphia 76ers to the first seed in the Eastern Conference with a 49-23 regular season record (2021) and three consecutive NBA Playoff berths while serving as head coach of the franchise from 2020 to 2023 before joining the Bucks.

He guided the Los Angeles Clippers to a combined regular season record of 356-208 while serving as head coach from 2013 to 2020 before joining the 76ers. Before joining the Clippers, Coach Rivers was the head coach of the Boston Celtics from 2004 to 2013, where he guided the team to an NBA Championship in 2008 and had a regular season record of 416-305.





He coached the Orlando Magic to three NBA Playoff berths (2001, 2002, and 2003) as head coach from 1999 to 2003 before joining the Boston Celtics. On October 13, 1961, Doc Rivers was born in Chicago, Illinois. He played and attended Marquette University.

Rivers played for the Clippers, Knicks, and Spurs after being chosen in the second round of the 1983 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks prior to his graduation from Marquette University. Coach Rivers is on the National Advisory Board of the Positive Coaching Alliance, a nationwide nonprofit that supports coaches and student-athletes.

Historic milestone caps legendary career as Doc Rivers climbs to sixth on NBA’s all-time coaching list

Doc Rivers has achieved yet another significant milestone in his lengthy career by rising to sixth position on the NBA's all-time regular season coaching wins record. With a total of 1,176 regular season victories, the accomplishment puts Rivers ahead of a number of historical figures. In NBA history, just five coaches have won more games.

Based on a roughly $40 million, 3.5-year contract, Doc Rivers' salary with the Milwaukee Bucks is allegedly between $10 and $11 million per year as of early 2024. This makes him one of the NBA's highest-paid coaches.

Gregg Popovich (1,390), Don Nelson (1,335), Lenny Wilkens (1,332), Jerry Sloan (1,221), and Pat Riley (1,210) are the only five NBA coaches with more regular-season wins than Rivers. Rivers stated that with Monday's victory, he passed Karl:

“Yeah, I had no idea. It’s nice. I don’t know who I passed, any of that… Oh, wow. George is a hell of a coach, one of the best of all time.”

The Boston Celtics' 2008 NBA title is what made Rivers most famous. He is undoubtedly one of the most successful coaches the league has ever seen after being in the top six. Rivers will have the opportunity to advance even further as the season goes on, adding to a coaching resume that already spans more than 20 years.


Also read: Top 5 highest paid NBA coaches: Steve Kerr, Erik Spoelstra, Doc Rivers, and more