Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee Bucks enter pivotal offseason as Doc Rivers steps down after 50-loss season

The Milwaukee Bucks wrapped up the 2025-26 NBA regular season with a loss on Sunday, finishing the year at 32-50, their first 50-loss campaign in more than a decade. Shortly after the final game, veteran coach Doc Rivers stepped down from his role as head coach.

Rivers was hired midway through the 2023-24 season to replace Adrian Griffin and help guide a roster featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. In his partial first season, the team went 17-19 and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers. The following year, Milwaukee returned to the postseason but suffered another first-round exit to the Pacers, this time with Lillard sidelined by an Achilles tendon injury.

The 2025-26 season brought even greater struggles. Injuries and inconsistency prevented the Bucks from making the playoffs. Rivers leaves the organization with a 97-103 record during his time in Milwaukee.

What did Doc Rivers say about his decision and family?

In the final week of the season, the 64-year-old coach, recently named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026, shared his thoughts on what lies ahead.

"I have grandkids that I want to see," Doc Rivers said. "I'll put it that way. And so I'll let you figure it out from there. I have seven grandkids now and they're all eight years and under and it kills me every time I miss Grandparents' Day with each one of them in school. It's probably time to go see them more, so I'll let you figure out the rest."

In his coaching career so far, Doc Rivers has registered 1,194 career wins, placing him sixth on the NBA’s all-time wins list behind Gregg Popovich, Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Jerry Sloan, and Pat Riley. He won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and guided several teams to deep playoff appearances during his time with the Magic, Clippers, and 76ers.

How does this impact Giannis Antetokounmpo moving forward?

Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP and longtime leader of the Bucks since being drafted in 2013, now heads into another important offseason for the franchise. The team reached the NBA Finals in 2021 and captured the championship that year, but the past few seasons have presented growing challenges.

Team governor Wes Edens has indicated that Antetokounmpo will either be offered a contract extension or be made available for a trade this summer. The Bucks waived Damian Lillard earlier in the season and added Myles Turner in an effort to stay competitive, though the roster changes did not yield the desired results. Only a handful of players on the current team appear set as long-term pieces.