Last week, ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith said on his SiriusXM show that Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers plans to “step away” from the NBA. Rivers’ coaching career spans 27 seasons, dating back to winning the 2000 Coach of the Year with the Orlando Magic, and he has been with the Bucks since 2023.
Rivers downplayed Smith’s comments after the Bucks’ practice on Friday, according to The Athletic‘s Eric Nehm. “No, I’m not getting into that,” Rivers said. “That’s something that I think he feels that way, but not for me.”
Rivers’ comments weren’t exactly a full-throated denial, whereas Bucks veteran forward Bobby Portis insisted any Rivers retirement talk is foolish.
“Do you get paid if you retire?” Portis said on FanDuel’s Run It Back. “If you’ve got one more year on your contract, do you get paid? Nah, I don’t think Doc is walking away from that $15, $16 [million]. You know what I’m saying? That’s a lot of bread to just walk away from.”
Portis continued, “You don’t want it? You don’t want it at all? Like, let’s just be for real. That’s a lot of bread, man. He’s making about $15, $16 [million] a year, so nah, man. I think that’s cap, man. He’ll be back. He’ll be back next year, man. In my opinion — this is just my opinion — we some real people in real life. Who’s walking about from $15, $16 [million]? I don’t know too many people.”
The Bucks and Rivers are amidst a wildly disappointing 2025-26 season. Entering Monday’s action, Milwaukee sits at 27-36 and four games behind the Charlotte Hornets for the 10th and final Play-In Tournament spot.
The Bucks have been without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for half of the season. The 31-year-old has been dealing with a right calf strain. While the jury is still out on whether Antetokounmpo will be a Buck next season, it seems Rivers wants to return to Milwaukee. Whether the Bucks will want him back is another story for another day.
