Doc Rivers, the 13-year NBA player who later became a championship and Hall of Fame coach, will return to NBC and the broadcast booth this season as a game analyst.
“I loved playing the game, I loved coaching it, and I’ve always loved talking about it,” Rivers said. “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.”
Rivers was a second-round pick out of Marquette in 1983 and was an All-Star player in his 13 seasons, but he is better known as a coach. Rivers won a title coaching the 2008 Boston Celtics and has won 1,194 games across 27 seasons (he also coached Orlando, the LA Clippers, Philadelphia and Milwaukee), including leading 21 of those teams to the playoffs. That’s 40 years of NBA experience coming to the broadcast booth for games across NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN.
After he retired as a player, he was a commenter in the booth for a couple of years for Turner Sports, then jumped to coaching in 199. He also worked for ESPN in between coaching stints in 2003-04 and 2023.
“It’s been 14 years since Doc worked for us as a studio analyst at the 2012 London Olympics, and we couldn’t be happier to have him back on the NBC Sports team,” said Sam Flood, Executive Producer & President, NBC Sports. “Having led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA title with nearly four decades of NBA experience between coaching and playing, we are excited to add another Hall of Famer to our roster.”
Rivers also has coached five of the other former players working as analysts and commentators for NBC Sports:
• Grant Hill, Orlando Magic (2000-2003)
• Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic (2000-2003)
• Brian Scalabrine, Boston Celtics (2005-2010)
• Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers (2013-2017)
• Austin Rivers, Los Angeles Clippers (2015-2018)
NBC’s NBA coverage this season tips off on Oct. 20 with a triple-header: Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons (3 p.m. ET), Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks (7 p.m. ET), and Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio Spurs (9:30 p.m. ET). That coverage will continue throughout the season, including Sunday Night Basketball returning in January, plus great lineups of games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents’ Day. For the entire NBC Sports NBA schedule, follow this link.
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