Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers was named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Tuesday as part of the class of 2026, along with Elena Delle Donne, Candace Parker, and Amar’e Stoudemire.
Although he is not the class headliner, Rivers’ induction garnered a lot of attention in the NBA community because of his lack of recent playoff success, having frequently blown 3-1 series leads.
How the NBA World Reacted to Doc Rivers’ Hall of Fame Induction
Amid the criticism of his postseason record, Rivers has one championship in 2008 (Boston Celtics) and has amassed 1,191 coaching wins (and counting), good for sixth place on the coaching list. He also helped lead the most successful period in the history of the Los Angeles Clippers from 2013 to 2020, during which he led the team to the postseason six times without a losing season.
However, Rivers’ induction prompted people to mock the Basketball Hall of Fame and its perceived lower standards for entry compared to baseball or pro football.
Aidan LaPorta posted: “How am I ever supposed to take the NBA HOF seriously now????”
“I’ve never seen 1 ring do so much for a career,” the Rabbit Guy wrote.
The Hoops Reference reacted with a brutal comment: “We will never see a choke artist of this caliber again, a true all-time great.”
“Now we got a polar bear in the HOF,” Hana Hoops wrote.
OnyxOdds emphasized Rivers’ lack of recent success, specifically over the last 15 years that he has been an NBA head coach. “Doc Rivers in the last 15 seasons as a head coach: 0 championships, 0 final appearances, 1 Conference Finals appearance. Hall of Famer.”
Rivers has not led a team to the NBA Finals since 2010, when his Celtics lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, or the conference finals since 2012, when the Celtics lost to the Miami Heat. On both occasions, they lost the series in seven games after holding a 3-2 series lead.
“I’m drunk; I thought that said Doc Rivers for a second,” Fliff posted.
Not all of the NBA world was critical of Rivers’ induction, as Kofie wrote: “All jokes aside, that 2008 chip and being 6th all-time in wins was going to be more than enough.”
Whether the NBA world agrees with it or not, Rivers has made an impact in the NBA because you can’t draft the story of the NBA without the 2008 Boston Celtics, in which Rivers was at the helm.
