Like Magic Johnson, Doc Rivers’ moniker became so popular that it slowly turned into his first name. Fans rarely see Doc Rivers being referred to by his original official first name ‘Glenn’. Therefore, the moniker ‘Doc’ and its full adaptation by the 1988 NBA All-Star is a matter of intrigue to many. The current Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach recently appeared on the Sloane Knows Podcast and cleared the air on how he became ‘Doc’ Rivers.
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On the pod, Rivers narrated the incident which led to the moniker. In this interesting tale, former Marquette College coach Al McGuire played the central role in shaping this moniker. When coach Rivers was a freshman at his high school, he went to a camp wearing a T-shirt with Julius Erving’s picture on it. Soon he caught McGuire’s attention.
“Al McGuire the legendary coach was sitting next to Rick Majerus, the legendary coach. And Rick turns to him and says, ‘That kid can really play, we need to keep an eye out for him,’” Rivers told Sloane.
The 62-year-old then revealed that back in the day, NBA teams used to visit young hoopers’ camps to display their skills. During the camp, the Milwaukee Bucks were in town but were short of a player, that’s when McGuire sought Rivers’ services. Since Julius Erving was known as “Dr.J”, he thought of calling the kid who had Erving’s jersey on, ‘Doc’.
“Well, they only had nine guys. And Al McGuire gets up and says, ‘Hey Doc! Can you come out? We need you to play.’ I sit there, I didn’t know, my name is not Doc. And he said it three times. He kept pointing at me. ‘Hey Doc! Hey Doc!’ And finally, I realized that I was Doc,” Rivers revealed.
Then the former guard revealed that he even nailed two shots as a part of the Milwaukee Bucks practice squad. After witnessing such heroics from a high-school freshman, the crowd full of kids started to chant “Doc! Doc! Doc!”. From that point on, this name became the permanent fixture in the future NBA All-Star’s life.
Doc Rivers has left a significant imprint in the NBA
Drafted in 1983 during the second round, the Atlanta Hawks grabbed a gem in Glenn ‘Doc’ Rivers. The athletic guard was a pesky perimeter defender and was proficient at finishing inside. What set him apart from a lot of perimeter players was his ability to pass the ball from difficult angles. Therefore despite being a second-round pick, he started in 47 games in his first NBA season. After that, he kept on ascending, and in 1988, he earned his only All-Star berth. During the 1987-88 season, Rivers tallied 14.2 points, 9.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game.
Alongside Dominique Wilkins, he formed one of the most athletic duos in the league. After starring for Hawks in 8 seasons, he’d feature for the Clippers, Knicks, and the Spurs. He finished his career with an average of 10.9 points, 5.7 assists, 3 rebounds, and a remarkable 1.6 steals per game. While he had a commendable NBA playing career, his coaching career surpassed it.
Rivers began his coaching career with Magic but couldn’t take them past the first round in his five-year tenure. His Celtics stint began to unravel his potential as he captured the 2008 championship to elevate his profile. After the Celts, he coached the Clippers for seven seasons, the 76ers for three seasons, and is currently leading the charge for the Milwaukee Bucks.
