The Philadelphia 76ers decided to fire their head coach Doc Rivers and join a lengthy list of NBA teams looking for a new voice on their bench. The organization made the move official on Tuesday.
Rivers was relieved of his duties after the 76ers got eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Boston Celtics. Philly lost the series despite holding a 3-2 lead at one point.
Rivers took over the 76ers ahead of the 2020-21 season and posted a 154-82 regular-season record since then. He led the franchise to three consecutive playoff appearances, with all of them ending in the East semifinals.
“Doc is one of the most successful coaches in NBA history, a future Hall of Famer, and someone I respect immensely, “said Daryl Morey, 76ers’ President of Basketball Operations, in a team-released statement. “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.”
The 76ers are expected to launch the search for a new head coach right away, with ex-Phoenix Suns’ head coach Monty Williams and former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse being reportedly high on their list.
Hiring a new head coach is just one of the challenging tasks for the 76ers this offseason. The organization also needs to convince superstar James Harden to remain in Philadelphia, as he’ll likely decline his player option and hit free agency in the summer.
