Doc Rivers didn’t exactly paint a flattering picture of his time around Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In a recent conversation with Bill Simmons, Rivers revisited the Bucks’ messy stretch from last season, when it looked for a while like Milwaukee might move Antetokounmpo before the deadline - only for that trade to never happen. Rivers said he believed Antetokounmpo was “yo-yoing” the team into dealing him.
Doc Rivers says Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted out of Milwaukee, but didn't want to look like the "bad guy" to protect his legacy
— NBABase (@TheNBABase) November 6, 2026
"Giannis wanted out, but he was a Buck. And he didn't want to be the bad guy. He wanted John and Wes and those guys to say, 'we're trading you' instead… pic.twitter.com/kZB6R0ZArs
“Giannis wanted out, but he was a Buck. And he didn't want to be the bad guy,” Rivers said.
“He wanted John [Horst] and Wes [Edens] and those guys to say, ‘we're trading you’ instead of him asking for a trade. To me, that was the game that was being played.”
Rivers also got into what it was like coaching Antetokounmpo, and he made it clear he didn’t think the fit was simple.
“He’s not easy. He plays at this crazy downhill pace,” Rivers said.
“He’s really a difficult guy. He has this great passing ability, but he doesn’t have a super-high IQ at the same time.
Doc Rivers says Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t have a super-high IQ and that he was NOT easy to coach 😳 pic.twitter.com/aywGPNxaEW
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) November 6, 2026
He really has only one way of playing. Every play, he wants to force it.
I wish he’d learned how to execute better.
“The thing he still needs to learn is the value of execution how important it is, when you’re in practice and at shootaround, to lock in on execution. Now he has a coach who’s as good as there is at execution.”
Rivers may have been taking shots at Antetokounmpo, but if that was the same message he delivered while coaching him, it would at least fit the way he framed things here.
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