Tyronn Lue on Doc Rivers' Hall of Fame Nomination: 'That's a No Brainer'

Tyronn Lue praises Doc Rivers' Hall of Fame nomination, calling it a "no brainer" as Rivers earns recognition for his successful coaching career.

DALLAS — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has released its nominees for the 2025 class. Standout names include Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, and Dwight Howard. One of the most notable first-time nominees is Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers.

Rivers, who led the Boston Celtics to the 2008 NBA title, is eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time. His coaching career spans 26 seasons with teams including the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers, and Philadelphia 76ers. Rivers spent 13 seasons in the NBA as a player and earned an All-Star selection in 1988.

During his nine-year tenure with the Celtics, Rivers made the playoffs seven times and coached 721 games, second only to Red Auerbach’s 1,192 in franchise history. His .577 winning percentage ranks eighth in Celtics history. Rivers also ranks fourth in NBA playoff coaching wins with 113, behind Phil Jackson (229), Pat Riley (171), and Gregg Popovich (170).

Rivers is coaching the Bucks, who are 14-11 and fifth in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee lost all three games in their season series against Boston, including a 111-105 defeat at TD Garden on Dec. 6. He addressed his Hall of Fame nomination, expressing humility and focus on the current season.

"It means a lot. It means that I'm old. It means that I've done good work in the league. To be mentioned is humbling. Other than that, I don't like talking about it because we're in the middle of the season. That's where my head is at, but it means a lot, obviously."

He continued, "I think it's hard to look back on anything you've accomplished when you're still trying to accomplish because that's your focus. That's probably where I'm at right now."

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, who got his start in coaching under Rivers, was emphatic about Rivers' Hall of Fame credentials—beginning his answer by emphatically saying, “Book it.”

“I mean, that's a no-brainer,” Lue told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Someone who gave me my first opportunity to be a coach saw the coach in me, which I didn't even see and didn't think I would be in this position. I owe a lot of it to Doc. Just for giving me my first opportunity. Him and Danny Ainge, being able to study Doc from an offensive standpoint, just [after time outs] and how he did it, how he handled the media on tough losses and bad games. I would go into the back of the room and just kind of see how he handled certain situations and then just use him for a lot of advice as well to get to this point. As far as a Hall of Famer, that's a no-brainer.”

The Hall of Fame will announce its finalists during All-Star Weekend on Feb. 14 in San Francisco. The Class of 2025 will be revealed on April 5 at the NCAA Final Four, with enshrinement set for Sept. 5 at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut and Sept. 6 at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

---

Support DallasHoopsJournal.com

As an independent Dallas Mavericks reporter, it helps when you sign up for a premium membership to read our most in-depth content. The cost is $10 per month or $100 annually.