Doc Rivers joins ‘NBA on NBC’ for third stint as game analyst; says he’s ‘absolutely retired’ from coaching

Doc Rivers has returned to NBA media, this time as a game analyst for NBC, and he insists he is "absolutely retired" from coaching, according to NBC Sports. Rivers will join his son, Austin, on the network's broadcast roster for the second season they've been a part of since reacquiring NBA rights. The former NBA point guard and champion coach was previously fired by the Milwaukee Bucks following the 2022 season, just two years after leaving ESPN mid-season to take that position.

At ESPN, Rivers served as the lead game analyst and was set to call the NBA Finals. In an interview with the Associated Press, Rivers said he has "had a long run" and is "so thankful" to have coached and played as long as he did. He expressed excitement about focusing his full attention on TV analysis. This announcement follows similar statements he made on The Bill Simmons Podcast earlier this summer, but he denied retiring in a retort to Stephen A. Smith in the spring.

NBC quickly assembled its lead broadcast team last year, recruiting A-team analyst Reggie Miller and Jamal Crawford from TNT to work alongside Mike Tirico. Rivers, who has called games in the past, was the top analyst for ABC during the 2004 NBA Finals and has been the lead chair for ESPN since 2024. Networks typically prefer coaches as top game analysts, but Miller, with his extensive experience calling top games, could join Rivers in the lead booth for Sunday Night Basketball and postseason action, potentially pushing Crawford to a lower level.