Doc Rivers is out as coach of the Clippers, a decision that was mutually agreed upon by him and owner Steve Ballmer, the team said in a statement sent to the media Monday afternoon.
Rivers, Ballmer and Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, had been having conversations for the past week or so about which direction the organization should be headed.
The Clippers built a contender around Southland natives Kawhi Leonard and Paul George last summer, and then finished second in the Western Conference this season. They were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the third-seeded Denver Nuggets after taking a three-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven series.
In six playoff appearances under Rivers, the Clippers never made it to the conference finals, with the “Lob City” era featuring Chris Paul and Blake Griffin also blowing a 3-1 series lead in 2015 to the Houston Rockets.
“I’m the coach and I’ll take any blame for it,” Rivers, who has coached the most Game 7 losses in NBA history (eight), and the most blown 3-1 leads (three) too, said after the elimination loss to Denver. “But we didn’t meet our expectations, clearly, because if we had, in my opinion, we’d still be playing.”
“Doc has been a terrific coach for the Clippers, an incredible ambassador, and a pillar of strength during tumultuous times,” Ballmer said in the statement. “He won a heck of a lot of games and laid a foundation for this franchise.
“I am immeasurably grateful to Doc for his commitment and contributions to the Clippers and the city of Los Angeles. I am also extremely confident in our front office and our players. We will find the right coach to lead us forward and help us reach our ultimate goals. We will begin the search and interview process immediately.”
According to people familiar with the Clippers’ situation, names that will come up to replace Rivers include Clippers assistant coach Ty Lue, who is reportedly set to interview for the Philadelphia 76ers job this week, and former NBA coach and ESPN/ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy.
Rivers joined the Clippers before the 2013-14 season and in his seven seasons helped build the team into a championship contender, finishing with a record of 356-208. He was the fifth-longest-tenured coach upon his departure, behind San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, Miami’s Erik Spoelstra, Dallas’ Rick Carlisle and Portland’s Terry Stotts.
Rivers owned the second-highest winning percentage among all active coaches, trailing Popovich. In August, Rivers passed Red Auerbach for 11th on the all-time coaching victories list. Rivers owns a .506 postseason winning percentage.
Rivers was hired for his championship coaching experience but during his tenure became as much of a spokesman for the franchise. After former owner Donald Sterling was banned for life by the NBA after allegedly making racist comments that surfaced in 2014, Rivers became the franchise’s voice and helped guide players and the team through uncertain times.
More recently, in August, he delivered a searing postgame address decrying the fear Black men and women feel in the United States because of systemic racism and policing.
After Ballmer bought the Clippers in 2014, Rivers was given responsibility over all player personnel decisions. Three years later, Ballmer shook up the organization’s structure by limiting Rivers to coaching duties and installing a new front office led by Lawrence Frank, a former assistant coach under Rivers.
When the NBA season began last fall, seven of the league’s 30 teams had Black coaches. With Rivers’ departure it is down to four: Cleveland’s J.B. Bickerstaff in Cleveland, Detroit’s Dwane Casey, Atlanta’s Lloyd Pierce and Phoenix’s Monty Williams.
There are now six head coaching positions open in the NBA: the Clippers, Houston, Indiana, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and Philadelphia,
Staff writer Andrew Greif contributed to this story.
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