Doc Rivers

About Doc Rivers

Glenn Anton Rivers (born October 13, 1961 in Chicago, Illinois), commonly referred to as Doc Rivers, is a retired American basketball player and the current head coach of the NBA's Boston Celtics. Rivers was known for his defense while playing in the NBA. His skills as floor general and point guard helped him transition into a coach following his playing career. He attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois.

After representing the United States with the national team in the 1982 FIBA World Championship, in which he was selected as the tournament MVP, and graduating from Marquette University, Rivers was drafted in the second round (31st overall) of the 1983 NBA Draft, moving into the starting lineup due to injury during his rookie season. He spent the next seven seasons as a starter in Atlanta, assisting star Dominique Wilkins as the team found great regular season success. He averaged a double-double for the 1986-87 season, scoring 12.4 points and helping out with 10.0 assists per game. Rivers later spent one year as a starter for the Los Angeles Clippers and two more for the New York Knicks, before finishing out his career as a solid bench player for the San Antonio Spurs.

Rivers began his coaching career with the Orlando Magic in 1999, where he coached for more than four NBA seasons. Rivers won the Coach of the Year award in 2000 after his first year with the Magic. That season, he led the team that was picked to finish last in the league to a near playoff berth. He made the post season in his next three years as coach, but was fired in 2003 after a disastrous start to the season.