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In midseason shakeup, Doc Rivers to leave ESPN to join the Bucks

Doc Rivers appears to be exiting ESPN to take the head coach position with the Milwaukee Bucks after Adrian Griffin's dismissal.
In midseason shakeup, Doc Rivers to leave ESPN to join the Bucks
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Doc Rivers will be the new head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, according to multiple reports citing league sources.

NBA reporter Shams Charania tweeted the decision Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday, the Bucks announced that they had fired head coach Adrian Griffin just 43 games into his first season with the team. The firing came with the team leading the Central Division.

"This was a difficult decision to make during the season,” said Bucks general manager Jon Horst in a statement. “We thank coach Griffin for his hard work and contributions to the team.”

Griffin has more than 15 seasons of coaching experience in the NBA, and was the 17th head coach in franchise history.

Rivers previously coached the Magic, Celtics, Clippers and 76ers. He was the NBA's Coach of the Year in 2000 and won an NBA title with Boston in 2008. 

Rivers has often coached playoff-bound teams, but his teams have not made deep playoff runs in recent years. 

During his three seasons in Philadelphia, the 76ers were knocked out in the second round every year. 

While with the Clippers, the club made playoff appearances in five out of six seasons, but never made it past the second round. 

Rivers is the ninth-winningest coach in NBA history, and is just one victory shy of Larry Brown, who has 1,098 regular season wins in the NBA.

Rivers has been part of ESPN's lead broadcast crew since the start of the season.


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