Doc Rivers says he apologized to Giannis Antetokounmpo while clarifying critiques

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Marc J. Spears Nov 9, 2026, 06:43 PM ET

Former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers told ESPN Andscape on Monday that he reached out to Miami Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo to apologize for a remark he made on a recent podcast.

Rivers, now an NBC Sports NBA analyst, coached Rivers in Milwaukee for parts of three seasons before being relieved of his duties at the end of last season. Rivers told "The Bill Simmons Podcast" in an episode posted last Thursday that Antetokounmpo "doesn't necessarily have this super IQ" for basketball and that he "really has one way: downhill, force, force."

Rivers told ESPN Andscape he meant to say "feel for the game" instead of "super IQ," he felt bad about the error in words and texted Antetokounmpo an apology that the latter responded positively to.

"I was saying he was one of the most interesting guys," Rivers…