Doc Rivers will be steering the Los Angeles Clippers for the foreseeable future.
Rivers, the Clippers’ head coach and president of basketball operations, has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him in L.A. through the 2018-19 season, the Clippers announced Wednesday.
“This is an important day for this organization,” Clippers owner Steve Ballmer said in a team statement. “I am excited to work with Doc for a long time as we build a championship culture that will deliver results both on and off the court. Not only is Doc one of the best coaches and executives in the game, but he continually embodies the hard core, committed and resilient character and winning culture that the Clippers represent. It was one of my top priorities to ensure that he was firmly in place as the long-term leader of this team.”
Rivers is coming off a successful first season with the Clippers, leading the NBA’s highest scoring team (107.9 points per game) to a franchise-record 57 wins and a second straight Pacific Division title. The Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the NBA playoffs before falling to the Memphis Grizzlies in six games.
The former Celtics head coach, who won an championship with Boston in 2008 and reached the NBA Finals again in 2010, also served as a steadying presence in the Clippers organization during the rapid demise of former team owner Donald Sterling — a saga culminated in Sterling being banned for life by NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft, officially buying the team earlier this month.
Rivers boasts a career coaching record of 644-498 over 15 seasons with the Clippers, Celtics and Orlando Magic.
UPDATE (2:55 p.m.): Rivers’ new contract will be worth more than $50 million over five seasons, league sources told Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski.
Photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
