Sixers Fire Head Coach Doc Rivers After Another Early Playoff Exit

PHILADELPHIA, PA — After the Sixers fifth second-round postseason exit in the last six years, head coach Doc Rivers has been fired, the team announced Tuesday. The Sixers will now begin a search for their third new head coach in five years.

Rivers, who brought with him a legendary resume that included an NBA title, took the reins over from eight-year head coach Brett Brown following the 2020 season.

“Doc is one of the most successful coaches in NBA history, a future Hall of Famer, and someone I respect immensely," Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey said in a statement. "We’re grateful for all he did in his three seasons here and thank him for the important impact he made on our franchise."

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The Sixers were a dominant 154-82 under Rivers' tenure, and Joel Embiid won an NBA MVP award with him in 2023. This season was an all-time year for Philly, asthe 54-win Sixers haven't won so many games since Allen Iverson's Eastern Conference championship team won 56 in 2001. And according to Basketball Reference, this was the best offensive team in Sixers history, with a 117.7 overall offensive rating (an estimate of points produced per 100 possessions).

Between Embiid and former MVP James Harden, along with a supporting crew of Tyrese Maxey, P.J. Tucker, and Tobias Harris, most analysts agreed this was the best iteration of the Sixers int he Embiid era. And as recently as last Thursday, the Sixers were minutes away from finishing off the Celtics and advancing to the conference finals. At that time, they had the best odds to win the NBA Finals.

But they collapsed in the fourth quarter of Game 6 and flopped in Game 7. Regular season dominance and built up hopes for late spring failures have become too much of a theme for Sixers fans and management, and Morey decided to move on.

The team did not say specifically what they would look for in their next coach, but indicated the organization needed something new.

"After having the chance to reflect upon our season, we decided that certain changes are necessary to further our goals of competing for a championship," Morey added.

Who will next lead the Sixers will be just one of the many crucial questions facing the franchise in the offseason. Much will hinge on Harden's free agency decision, and whether the Sixers are able to move forward with the current alignment or seek a new supporting cast for Embiid.

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