Friday 2 October 2020 06:43, UK
Doc Rivers has reached an agreement on a deal to become the next coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, ESPN reported on Thursday.
Rivers interviewed with 76ers general manager Elton Brand on Wednesday afternoon before meeting with the team's ownership later that night.
He reportedly watched Wednesday night's Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers with the Sixers' brass.
It's been a rapid turnaround for Rivers, who was dismissed as the coach of the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, just 13 days after the Denver Nuggets overcame a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate his team from the NBA playoffs.
Rivers, who turns 59 on October 13, has a 943-681 record in 21 seasons as an NBA coach, with the victories ranking 11th all-time. He also won the 2008 NBA title with the Boston Celtics and was voted the NBA's Coach of the Year in 2000.
The Sixers believed they were ready to contend for their first championship in 37 years and general manager Elton Brand spent $180m to re-sign Tobias Harris and nearly $100m to sign free agent Al Horford away from Boston.
Instead, the Sixers had only snippets of consistent success and Brown paid the price. The long-time San Antonio Spurs assistant was let go on a contract that runs through the 2021-2022 season.
Brand said after he fired Brown he would evaluate the front office and consider more changes but doesn't plan to trade either of his two top stars, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
"I am not looking to trade Ben or Joel," Brand said days after the season ended. "I am looking to complement them better. They are 24 and 26 years old, respectively. You try to make that fit as long as you can. They want to be here, they want to be with our organisation and I see them here for a long, long time."
The Sixers fired coach Brett Brown on August 23 after seven seasons following their first-round playoff sweep by the Boston Celtics. Brown finished his tenure in Philly with a 221-344 record, including 12-14 in the postseason.
Former Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni, 69, and former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue were believed to be under consideration in Philadelphia.
