Hall of Fame coach Doc Rivers is officially calling it quits from coaching, but the NBA lifer will still be around the league in a familiar capacity.
Rivers will join NBC Sports as a NBA game analyst, where he will continue to display his knowledge and expertise of more than 40 years in the league as a player and coach.
The veteran broadcaster will be seen across NBC, Peacock and NBCSN, the NBA announced on Monday, Sept. 21.
“I loved playing the game, I loved coaching it, and I’ve always loved talking about it,” Rivers said in a statement. “I have great memories working with NBC, and I’m excited to be back and share my perspective alongside such a talented team. This season should be a lot of fun. I can’t wait.”
Doc Rivers’ extensive NBA resumé
Rivers was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1983 NBA Draft with the 31st overall pick in the second round. He went to play 14 NBA seasons and earned an All-Star selection in 1988, playing with the Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs before hanging up the jersey.
Three years later, Rivers stepped back into the league, this time with a suit and clipboard as he coached the Orlando Magic from 1999 to 2003, winning Coach of the Year in 2000. He then agreed to a deal with the Boston Celtics, where Rivers won his first and only NBA championship in 2008.
He went on to coach one of his former teams, leading Clippers from 2013 to 2020 and becoming the winningest coach in franchise history.
He spent the final years of his coaching career with the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks before his retirement.
Rivers is highly regarded for his 2008 NBA title in Boston, but what he was able to accomplish in Los Angeles could make him the greatest Clipper of all time. Consider this:
Is Doc Rivers the greatest Clipper of all time?
Well before Rivers was named one of the NBA’s “15 Greatest NBA Coaches,” he played for the Clippers in 1991 following a draft day trade for the No. 9 overall pick in that year’s draft, which became Stacey Augmon. Rivers was the Clippers’ starting point guard and led them to their first winning season and playoff appearance in Los Angeles at 45-37, a 14-win differential from the previous season. As the Clippers, the franchise had only tallied one winning season prior to Rivers’ arrival, their inaugural 1978-79 campaign in San Diego.
Rivers averaged 10.9 points, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals in 59 games played. He was traded in the offseason to the Knicks just before the start of the 1992-93 season. But it wouldn’t be the last time Rivers was a significant part of the Clippers organization.
Decades after he’d been traded from the Clippers, Rivers became their head coach and senior vice president of basketball operations. The Clippers traded for Rivers in 2013, sending the Celtics an unprotected 2015 NBA first-round draft pick in a rare coaching transaction.
Rivers didn’t win a championship like he did with Boston, but he helped turn Los Angeles into a perennial playoff team throughout his tenure. For the first time in history, the Clippers were considered the better basketball team in L.A. while under Rivers’ direction. In his seven seasons, the Clippers only missed the playoffs once.
Rivers has the best record of among all Clippers coaches with an overall 356-208 record and a .631 winning percentage. Other coaches on that listed include Vinny Del Negro, Mike Dunleavy, Tyronn Lue and Jack Ramsay.
The Clippers are the only NBA franchise that hasn’t retired a player’s number. There is no jersey hanging in the rafters for Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Deandre Jordan, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, Elton Brand, Darius Miles, Lamar Odom, Norm Nixon or Danny Manning.
Maybe, just maybe the Clippers will consider No. 25 – or No. 356.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Doc Rivers played one season for the Clippers. He may be LA’s GOAT
Read the full article here