Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers was born on October 13,1961 and was an American professional basketball coach and former player who was most recently the head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association.
30 Facts About Doc Rivers
2.
Doc Rivers played point guard for the Hawks from 1983 to 1991 and later played for the Los Angeles Clippers, the New York Knicks, and the San Antonio Spurs.
3.
In 1999, Doc Rivers began his NBA coaching career when he was hired as head coach of the Orlando Magic.
4.
Doc Rivers was named the 2000 NBA Coach of the Year in his first season with the Magic.
5.
Doc Rivers went on to coach the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Philadelphia 76ers.
6.
Doc Rivers won an NBA championship in 2008 as head coach of the Celtics.
7.
Doc Rivers was a McDonald's All-American for Proviso East High School in the Chicago metropolitan area He was given his nickname while attending a summer basketball camp at Marquette University while wearing a "Dr J" t-shirt of Philadelphia 76ers player Julius Erving.
8.
Doc Rivers has alternated on whether the nickname originated from Golden Eagles head coach Al McGuire or assistant Rick Majerus.
9.
Doc Rivers later played college ball for Marquette, and played on the US national team in the 1982 FIBA World Championship, in which he led the team to the silver medal, after missing the last shot in the final.
10.
Doc Rivers graduated from Marquette while completing course work as an NBA player.
11.
Doc Rivers played point guard for the Atlanta Hawks from 1983 to 1991, assisting star Dominique Wilkins as the team found great regular season success.
12.
Doc Rivers received the J Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1990.
13.
Doc Rivers later spent one year as a starter for the Los Angeles Clippers, two years playing for the New York Knicks, and two years playing for the San Antonio Spurs.
14.
Doc Rivers began his coaching career with the Orlando Magic in 1999, where he coached for more than four NBA seasons.
15.
Doc Rivers won the Coach of the Year award in 2000 after his first year with the Magic.
16.
On June 17,2008, Doc Rivers won his first and sole NBA Championship as a head coach after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
17.
Doc Rivers played for the team that held the previous record for most games played in a single postseason: the 1994 New York Knicks played 25 postseason games.
18.
Doc Rivers led the Celtics to the 2010 NBA Finals where they faced the Los Angeles Lakers and lost the series in seven games.
19.
On May 13,2011, after months of rumors that he would retire, ESPN reported that the Celtics and Doc Rivers agreed upon a 5-year contract extension worth $35 million.
20.
Doc Rivers became the senior vice president of basketball operations on the team.
21.
Doc Rivers himself stated that he would not return to the Clippers if Sterling remained as owner the following season.
22.
On January 16,2015, Doc Rivers became the first NBA coach to coach his own son, Austin Doc Rivers, until June 26,2018, when he was traded to the Washington Wizards for Marcin Gortat.
23.
On May 31,2019, Doc Rivers made comments on Kawhi Leonard during an appearance on ESPN, stating that "He is the most like Jordan that we've seen".
24.
On September 28,2020, Doc Rivers stepped down following the Clippers' defeat to the Denver Nuggets in the conference semifinals.
25.
Doc Rivers is the nephew of former NBA player Jim Brewer.
26.
Doc Rivers's son Austin is an NBA player who as of 2023 plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
27.
Doc Rivers's youngest son, Spencer, is a guard who played for Winter Park High School and for UC Irvine.
28.
Doc Rivers became good friends with Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz during his tenure with the Hawks.
29.
In 2009, Doc Rivers was credited with helping lure Smoltz into signing with the Boston Red Sox while he was the head coach of the Celtics.
30.
Doc Rivers is a cousin of former NBA guard Byron Irvin and former MLB outfielder Ken Singleton.