Sixers Fire Doc Rivers After 2023 Playoffs Exit, Top Coaching Candidates Revealed

Doc Rivers - Boston Celtics v Philadelphia 76ers - Game Six

(Photo : Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - Head Coach Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers points against the Boston Celtics during the first quarter in game six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the 2023 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on May 11, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Philadelphia 76ers dismissed head coach Doc Rivers after three seasons at the helm on Tuesday, following their disappointing playoff exit at the hands of the Boston Celtics, in which they led the series 3-2 before dropping the last two games.

BREAKING: The 76ers dismissed coach Doc Rivers on Tuesday, sources tell ESPN. Rivers led the Sixers to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in each of his three seasons on the job. pic.twitter.com/WM0t4LhrAz
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 16, 2023

Rivers posted a 154-82 (.653) record in his three seasons.

Rivers has been coaching in the league almost continuously since 1999, taking a break during the 2003-04 season after his ousting from the Orlando Magic, his first head coaching gig. He won the NBA Coach of the Year award with them in 2000.

Stints with the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers followed, with the 61-year-old tactician winning the 2008 NBA championship with Boston in the largest single-season turnaround in NBA history.

He was hired by the Sixers in 2020 to replace Brett Brown. Rivers' sacking is the latest among the current exodus of head coaches in the league.

Rivers still desires to continue coaching in the NBA if the opportunity presents itself.

The Sixers Have Multiple Head Coaching Candidates

The Sixers are considering Mike Budenholzer, Sam Cassell, Mike D'Antoni, Nick Nurse, Frank Vogel, and Monty Williams for their head coaching post.

The Sixers’ search for a new coach is expected to include Mike Budenholzer, Sam Cassell, Mike D’Antoni, Nick Nurse, Frank Vogel and Monty Williams, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 16, 2023

Among these prospects, Sam Cassell is most familiar with the Sixers organization, currently serving as an assistant coach for the team since 2020.

Budenholzer, Nurse, Vogel, and Williams have all led their former teams to NBA Finals appearances, with the first three winning the title.

D'Antoni coached his teams to the best regular season record in the NBA multiple times, most recently with the Houston Rockets in 2017-18. He previously coached Sixers star James Harden, who was the backbone of his Rockets squads.

Related Article: Doc Rivers blows another lead