Insisting that his coaching career is over, Doc Rivers joins NBC as an NBA analyst

Doc Rivers, a Hall of Fame coach, has announced his retirement from coaching and his joining of NBC as an NBA analyst for the upcoming season. After retiring as a player in 1996, Rivers initially declined an offer to become an NBA analyst for NBC due to concerns about potential conflicts of interest with his coaching career. However, with Rivers now insisting that his coaching career is over, the network announced that he will be an analyst on games across NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN, as well as potentially doing some studio work.

Rivers expressed his excitement about focusing his attention on TV analysis for the first time, stating that he has always been honest and celebrated the game in general while telling the truth. Rivers is sixth in NBA coaching history in wins (1,194) and games (2,059), including three NBA championships with the Boston Celtics. He has worked with NBC before, serving as a studio analyst during the 2012 London Games.

NBC's sports executive producer and president, Sam Flood, expressed his excitement about having Rivers return to the network. Rivers has coached five players who later became NBC analysts and played against Reggie Miller, who is NBC's lead analyst. Rivers will begin his NBC coverage with three games on opening night, including Boston vs. Detroit and Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio.

He predicts a fierce competition in the Eastern Conference, with the top two teams being the top teams. The Western Conference is also expected to be intense, with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder being the top two teams. Rivers also expressed his interest in working with his son, Austin, and noted the unique connections he has with various talents in the league.