Milwaukee Bucks Drama: Giannis Antetokounmpo Expresses Discontent & Doc Rivers Fired After Season Finale

Giannis Antetokounmpo expressed his discontent with the Milwaukee Bucks after their season finale against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 76ers defeated the Bucks 126-106. The Bucks finished with a record of 32-50, making them the No. 11-ranked team in the Eastern Conference. This is the first time the Bucks have missed the playoffs since the 2015-16 season. Antetokounmpo was unwilling to commit to a future with the Bucks.

 “I don’t know. It’s not up to me. We’ll see,” Antetokounmpo said.

Antetokounmpo didn’t play in the season finale. AJ Green (19 points) and Jericho Sims (15 points) put up strong performances for the Bucks. Despite this, the 76ers still won because of Tyrese Maxey scoring 21 points and Quentin Grimes scoring 20 points off the bench.

Just minutes after the season finale, the Bucks announced that head coach Doc Rivers will not return for the 2026-27 season. Rivers was hired in the middle of the 2023-24 season after Adrian Griffin was fired. The Bucks did not win a playoff series with Rivers as head coach.

Rivers was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 4. He won Coach of the Year with the Orlando Magic and won a championship with the Boston Celtics.

ESPN reported that Rivers was possibly losing trust in the locker room. Six players questioned Rivers’s leadership during a locker room meeting, in which Rivers responded, “Look at my resume.”  

The Bucks will now need to search for a new head coach. Sam Cassell is widely reported as a likely candidate. Cassell played for the Bucks for five seasons. He’s been an assistant coach for the Celtics since 2023. Antetokounmpo recently started imitating Cassell’s iconic celebration. Cassell could be the Bucks’ best shot at keeping Antetokounmpo on the team.