"After having the chance to reflect upon our season, we decided that certain changes are necessary to further our goals of competing for a championship"; Doc Rivers departs after three seasons as 76ers head coach
Tuesday 16 May 2023 17:18, UK
The Philadelphia 76ers have fired coach Doc Rivers following a third-straight exit in the second round of the playoffs.
The franchise released an official statement on their website which read: "The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that the team has parted ways with Head Coach Doc Rivers. Rivers was named the 25th head coach in 76ers' franchise history on Oct 2, 2020.
"He coached three seasons for Philadelphia, compiling a 154-82 (.653) regular-season record."
President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey also commented: "Doc is one of the most successful coaches in NBA history, a future Hall of Famer, and someone I respect immensely.
"We're grateful for all he did in his three seasons here and thank him for the important impact he made on our franchise.
"After having the chance to reflect upon our season, we decided that certain changes are necessary to further our goals of competing for a championship."
Rivers led the 76ers to their second straight 50-win season behind NBA MVP Joel Embiid but again failed to lead them to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The 76ers held a 3-2 semi-finals series lead against Boston before dropping Game 6 at home and were crushed in Game 7 on the road.
Rivers fell 6-10 in Game 7s. The 10 defeats are five more than any other NBA coach.
Rivers and the 76ers also lost a decisive Game 7 at home in the second round to Atlanta in 2021 as a No 1 seed. Embiid endorsed Rivers' return following Sunday's loss but James Harden was noncommittal about wanting Rivers back.
Rivers had two years left on his contract and was 236-154 in three years with the Sixers. He won the 2008 NBA title as coach of the Boston Celtics.
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