Where does Doc Rivers' age rank among the oldest head coaches in the NBA?
Doc Rivers is in his 24th consecutive season as an NBA head coach. San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is the only active head coach with more experience than the 1987-1988 All-Star. Take a look at where Rivers' age places him among the NBA's oldest head coaches.
Watch highlights of Rivers from his playing days below:
Where does Doc Rivers' age rank among the oldest head coaches in the NBA?
With more and more teams hiring first-time head coach candidates, the age of NBA head coaches has seemingly decreased in recent years. There are four active head coaches under the age of 40 and 10 more that are under the age of 50.
1999-2000 Coach of the Year Doc Rivers is one of just six head coaches that are older than 60 years old. The Philadelphia 76ers head coach is the youngest in that group, as he is 26 days younger than Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford.
While Rivers is the sixth-oldest active head coach, Gregg Popovich is the oldest, as the San Antonio Spurs head coach is 73 years old. While Will Hardy of the Utah Jazz is just 34 years old, Boston Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla, who is also 34 years old, is five months younger.
Doc Rivers' coaching history
Doc Rivers has coached four teams over the past 24 seasons, compiling a record of 1055-746 for a winning percentage of .586. He has missed the postseason just five times in his coaching career.
Rivers has not had quite the same level of success in the postseason, as he is 104-100 for a .510 winning percentage. He did make two NBA Finals appearances, however, winning the 2007-2008 NBA title with the Boston Celtics. Rivers also won the 1999-2000 NBA Coach of the Year award after leading the Orlando Magic to a 41-41 record in his first season as a NBA head coach.
Rivers has also coached the Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers. While coaching the Clippers, Rivers became the first head coach in NBA history to coach his son, as Austin Rivers spent three and a half seasons playing for his father.
Rivers was rewarded for his coaching success as he was named one of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History at the 2021-2022 All-Star Game. Although in recent years his teams have become synonymous with blowing big series leads, the honor solidified Rivers' place among legendary coaches.
Watch Doc Rivers discuss coaching his son, Austin Rivers, in the NBA below: