Doc Rivers names NBA's greatest player but has 'no doubt' LeBron will be GOAT
Basketball coach Doc Rivers stated who he thinks is the all-time greatest NBA star amid debates over LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
The 62-year-old, who has experienced the NBA both as a player for 13 years and a coach for 24 years, weighed in on the matter during an interview with Kevin Garnett on Showtime Basketball. "I hate the GOAT debate, I'm a Michael [Jordan] guy," Rivers stated, expressing his respect for both players.
He added: "But that doesn't mean anything bad about LeBron [James]. Bron's gonna have the greatest career ever." Rivers has seen the prowess of James and Jordan firsthand, with the pair sharing 10 NBA championships, 10 Finals MVPs, nine regular-season MVPs and 33 All-Star game appearances between them.
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They remain the two most revered figures in their respective eras. Rivers played against Jordan for many years and coached against James while they were in their prime. Acknowledging what he considers will eventually be James' incomparable career, Rivers maintained: "There's no doubt he's going to have a GOAT career, but for me the single player is Mike. But that doesn't make LeBron bad.
"I feel like, if you say one, that means you're putting down the other one. They're both amazing. It's a fun debate, but I just hate that when you do it, people think you're putting down one guy or the other.". Rivers was last seen coaching in the NBA during the Philadelphia 76ers' 2023 playoff campaign. He was let go shortly after they were soundly defeated by the Boston Celtics in game seven of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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Rivers named Michael Jordan as the player he thinks is the greatest of all time (DOUG COLLIER/AFP via Getty Images)Rivers' three years in Philadelphia were somewhat disappointing, as he failed to guide the Sixers to the Conference Finals.
He also had to deal with the Ben Simmons situation, as the Australian didn't play for an entire season due to his desire to leave the team and he also cited mental health issues. Reflecting on his turbulent time with the Sixers, Rivers said he planned to take some time for himself before making another decision about his future in the game.
"I don't know what I'm gonna do," Rivers told TMZ in a brief interview in July. 'I'm just gonna enjoy life." The last decade of Rivers' coaching career has been challenging. After a successful stint with the Celtics which produced a championship in 2008, he failed to reach the NBA Finals with a strong Los Angeles Clippers team and they blew several series leads.
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Rivers says LeBron James will have the greatest career of all time (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)Over the last 10 years, Rivers said he occasionally reflects on that period in his life and expresses regret about his decision to leave the Celtics for a stint in California. "I regret it every day," Rivers told reporters in December. "It was the right move for me at the time. Nine years at one place. We were going to rebuild. I look back on that all the time.
"My life would have been so much smoother if I had stayed where I was at. ... You don't look back and I don't, but I regret that at times, for sure." He added: "They were probably the best years of my life in sports. Being here that entire time, that time will never go away, for me and a lot of people involved in that.
"When you walk the streets of Boston, you see all of your ex-players. (Kevin Garnett) and all these guys. You still reminisce about it. It's an amazing feeling that will never go away."
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