Glenn “Doc” Rivers has spent years building a coaching résumé that keeps him in the conversation with the best of his era, and he’s not shy about where he thinks that leaves him. The former Boston Celtics coach, who also had stops with the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks, says his work belongs in the same Hall of Fame discussion as Erik Spoelstra and Steve Kerr.
Rivers’ best-known run came in Boston, where he won a championship by guiding the Big Three to end their drought in 2008. Across the rest of his career, he has taken over plenty of teams and kept them competitive, even if the trophy case didn’t always follow.
Still, the criticism has never fully gone away, especially because his coaching career includes its share of disappointments. Rivers pushed back on that broader perception by pointing to the length and consistency of his work, and he grouped himself with two of the league’s most accomplished active coaches: Spoelstra of the Miami Heat and Kerr of the Golden State Warriors.
“I just felt like Steve Kerr, myself, Spo, should be Hall of Famers. College coaches get to coach and be called ‘Hall of Fame coach.’ But NBA coaches rarely get that,” Rivers said to Andscape about his and his peers' legacies as head coaches in the league.
Rivers’ point is less about one individual case than about recognition for NBA coaches as a whole. He wants the same kind of Hall of Fame respect that coaches from Team USA and college have long received.
Whether people agree with him or not, Rivers has the kind of career that gives him a real case. The same argument can be made for Spoelstra and Kerr, three coaches who have consistently gotten the most out of star-heavy rosters.
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Bucks Just Put More Pressure On Caris LeVert Than Ever
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LeVerts recent play has been trending down, which is exactly why this deal now carries a little extra weight for Milwaukee. The Bucks are getting draft value no matter how his production looks, but they will still want something usable from him on the floor, especially with the other side of the transaction showing more of a reset than a blockbuster. The Bulls, meanwhile, took on Nicolas Claxtons contract without any extra picks, banking on a change of scenery to help him rebound. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Reset Puts Jon Horst In Position To Rebuild Fast
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What makes the situation intriguing is how quickly the books could clear up from there. Milwaukee is projected to be under the salary cap by the 2027-28 season, and with a few key extension decisions still ahead, Horst should eventually have room to attack trades or free agents with more freedom than most teams in this position. The Bucks are not operating from a blank slate, but they are far from boxed in, which is exactly the kind of setup a front office likes when a rebuild needs to move fast. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Fans Will Have To Wait For Giannis Emotional Return
Giannis Antetokounmpos return to the Bucks is already circled on the schedule, but Milwaukee fans will have to sit with the anticipation a little longer. The 2026-27 slate now features two nationally televised matchups against his new team in Miami and back in Milwaukee, giving the reunion a built-in spotlight and a reminder of just how much the franchise has changed since the trade.
The first meeting comes in Miami on November 18, while the more emotional stop is set for a late-January trip to Fiserv Forum on Amazon Prime. For Bucks fans, that home date will carry the real weight, because it will be the first time they get to see Antetokounmpo back in Milwaukee since he was dealt to the Heat in June. [Read more 🡒]