Doc Rivers is back in the spotlight. The former NBA head coach has unexpectedly found himself at the center of attention after Sage Steele opened up about how their friendship has changed over time due to contrasting political views.
The former ESPN host’s remarks sparked plenty of animated reactions from fans across the league.
Doc Rivers Faces Unexpected Attention After Sage Steele’s Donald Trump Remarks
Sage Steele previously hosted “NBA Countdown” for ESPN before leaving the network in 2023. According to her latest claims, her relationship with Doc Rivers became strained after she began expressing her conservative views more openly.
On Dave Rubin’s “The Rubin Report,” Steele spoke about her disappointment over her friendship with Rivers changing significantly. The former ESPN host claimed Rivers privately messaged her and called her an [expletive] because she supported the Donald Trump administration.
“I’m going to show you later the DMs from this man,” Steele said. “Pages and pages of why I’m such an [expletive] to be a Republican or conservative and support Donald Trump. Out of the blue, he would send me clips, and I’m like, ‘I just want to talk basketball with you,’ or ‘How are your kids?'”
Sage Steele claims Doc Rivers slid into DMs to bash her for supporting Donald Trump https://t.co/fgdKkyO5uw
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 19, 2026
Rivers was recently enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026. He ranks sixth all-time in NBA head-coaching victories with 1,194 regular-season wins. He also led the Boston Celtics to an NBA championship in 2008.
However, compared with other title-winning coaches who had to wait for their induction or have yet to receive the honor, Rivers followed a different path. Hence, his Hall of Fame induction garnered significant criticism from fans, particularly because of the historic playoff collapses that have followed several of his teams throughout his career.
But after learning about Rivers’ alleged interactions with Steele, some fans unexpectedly began praising the former coach, despite previously being highly critical of him and his coaching record.
“2nd best thing Doc Rivers ever did,” one fan wrote.
2nd best thing Doc Rivers ever did https://t.co/3TJTvWAhWY
— 4 The Cycle (@4TheCycle1) August 20, 2026
“This squarely goes against my Doc Rivers hate agenda,” another user added.
“Rare W for Doc Rivers,” one comment read.
Rare w for Doc Rivers https://t.co/uludEADJSb
— Racial Dolezal (@SirCoach) August 20, 2026
“First Doc Rivers W since 2008,” another fan remarked.
First Doc Rivers W since 2008 https://t.co/6cX6DgXcYI
— Alex (@AGreenberg22) August 20, 2026
“Didn’t know Doc Rivers was chill like that, my fault, OG,” one observer joked.
“Frankly, this made me go from being neutral on Doc Rivers to loving Doc Rivers,” another fan commented.
Rivers is no longer an NBA head coach after spending the last few seasons in that role. Overall, he has spent nearly three decades as a head coach for five different franchises, including the Orlando Magic, Boston, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks.
Rivers’ last stint as a head coach was with Milwaukee, when he stepped down from the Bucks’ head coaching role following a turbulent tenure.
Perhaps Rivers’ recent failures have overshadowed some of the accomplishments he achieved earlier in his coaching career. However, as a newly inducted Hall of Famer, Rivers will now have to embrace the accolades that accompany his legacy while continuing to ignore the jokes and criticism directed at him.
