Milwaukee Bucks reportedly finalizing deal to hire Doc Rivers as coach

National Basketball Association

Updated Jan. 24, 2024 12:45 p.m. ET

Just one day after firing Adrian Griffin, the Milwaukee Bucks have found their next head coach.

Doc Rivers is finalizing an agreement to become the Bucks head coach, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Rivers and the Bucks were still negotiating on Wednesday, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because no contract had been completed.

ESPN reported Wednesday that Rivers had agreed to a deal in principle. Interim coach Joe Prunty will coach the Bucks on Wednesday night when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Bucks fired Griffin on Tuesday despite owning a 30-13 record that matches the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves for the second-best mark in the league. Milwaukee is 3.5 games behind the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings.

Griffin had never been a head coach until the Bucks hired him last summer, though he had spent 16 years as an assistant. The Bucks would be replacing him with someone who has nearly a quarter-century of head coaching experience.

Rivers has plenty of Milwaukee ties, as he played for Marquette from 1980-83 and his No. 31 jersey hangs from the Fiserv Forum rafters. He also has a championship background after leading the Boston Celtics to a title in 2008 and a Game 7 Finals appearance two years later.

Bucks fire first-year head coach Adrian Griffin after 43 games

He didn’t have as much postseason success in later stints with the Los Angeles Clippers (2013-20) and Philadelphia 76ers (2020-23). The 76ers fired him last year after they exited in the second round of the playoffs each of his three seasons in Philadelphia. He served as an analyst for ESPN through the first half of this season.

Rivers owns a 1,097-763 regular-season record and a 111-104 playoff mark in 24 seasons with the Orlando Magic (1999-2004), Celtics (2004-13), Clippers and 76ers.

His 1,097 regular-season wins put him one shy of Larry Brown for eighth most in NBA history.

Rivers’ task at Milwaukee would be to upgrade a defense that performed poorly enough under Griffin to cast doubt on the Bucks’ chances of seriously contending for a title. The Bucks rank 21st in defensive rating, down from fourth last season. There was reportedly also a growing frustration in the locker room with Griffin’s scheme.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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