Doc Rivers nearly quit on Clippers after heated tussle with Donald Sterling over JJ Redick being 'white'- "You f**king brat"
In 2013, the LA Clippers made the rare choice to trade for Doc Rivers to become their new head coach. The move almost blew up in their faces, as the longtime coach almost quit following a heated argument with the former owner.
Earlier this week, Hulu launched their new series, "Clipped," centered around the end of Donald Sterling's run as Clippers owner.
In the first episode, Sterling and Rivers are discussing a potential signing. Initially, Sterling agrees to the Clippers signing JJ Redick as a free agent. However, he tries to take it back upon learning that Redick is white. This leads to an argument with Doc Rivers that almost results in the coach stepping down.
"He's white, I didn't know he was white," Sterling told Rivers.
"We renege on JJ now we'll never get another free agent," Doc responded.
"What's your reputation? I am the one, everyone loves me," Sterling said.
"No they don't," said Doc.
"Excuse me? Who are you talking to you f**king brat? I'm your owner," Sterling responded.
"You're not my owner because I quit," Doc said.
In the end, Redick joined the Clippers via a sign-and-trade with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Doc Rivers ended up having a long run as LA Clippers head coach
While Doc Rivers claimed he was going to walk away after he argued with Sterling, he did not do so. In fact, he'd end up having a long run as head coach of the LA Clippers.
Before coming to LA, Rivers had a successful run with the Boston Celtics, resulting in an NBA championship in 2008. With the star duo of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, the Clippers hoped the longtime coach could garner similar success.
Doc Rivers regularly led the Clippers to high win totals. During his first four years there, the team never won less than 51 games. That said, the Clippers never had the postseason success they might have hoped for under Rivers.
During Rivers' seven seasons as coach, the Clippers appeared in 59 postseason games, finishing 27-32, falling short of the .500 mark. The Clippers never made it past the Western Conference semifinals.
Rivers' final season with the Clippers came in 2020. They'd end up having one of their biggest playoff blunders in the bubble, blowing a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets. Following this collapse, the organization parted ways with Rivers.
Doc Rivers ended his time in LA with a record of 356-208.
Since leaving the Clippers, Rivers briefly coached the Philadelphia 76ers. He transitioned back into a career in broadcasting this season before eventually being hired to coach the Bucks.