If one name raised eyebrows with some fans when the class of 2026 to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame was announced, it was Doc Rivers.
His critics focus on his (at times spectacular) failures, but his overall resume earned the call to the Hall. Rivers is fifth all-time in wins by a coach, ahead of Hall of Famers like Phil Jackson, George Karl and Larry Brown. He has a championship ring as a coach, with the 2008 Boston Celtics. Rivers was an NBA head coach for 27 consecutive seasons, starting in Orlando, then moving to Boston, the LA Clippers, Philadelphia and Milwaukee. He has a career regular-season record of 1,191-861 (58%) and has coached in 226 playoff games. That all came after Rivers played more than 10 seasons in the NBA, and he was an All-Star in 1988.
To be fair, Rivers has had some spectacular playoff flameouts — his teams have blown 3-1 series leads three times — and had some rough exits from a couple of his stops. The voters for the Hall of Fame looked past that, and it was not a discussion for Rivers when he took to the podium Saturday night.
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Rivers spoke from the podium in his trademark raspy voice, but said that was what 27 years of NBA coaching will do.
Rivers did talk about winning a championship in 2008 in Boston.
He also talked about coaching his son Austin in Los Angeles.
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