Doc Rivers Shoots Down Lakers Coaching Rumors: ‘I Am Going Nowhere’

Doc Rivers left no doubt regarding his future Tuesday night.

Rivers, currently in the midst of his sixth season coaching the Los Angeles Clippers, shot down the idea he could leave the team to join the Los Angeles Lakers after the 2018-19 NBA campaign.

Rivers, who previously coached the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics, had been linked to the Clippers’ intra-city rival in recent days, but the 57-year-old made it clear he intends to stay put even if the Lakers fire their current coach, Luke Walton, after a disappointing season.

“Well, I have a job and the Lakers have a coach, No. 1, and I am going nowhere,” Rivers told reporters before the Clippers’ 115-109 win over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night. “I can tell you that. Straight and up front, I’m going to be here until (Clippers owner) Steve (Ballmer) says, ‘get out.’ I plan on being here a long time.”

Rivers revealed he verbally agreed to a contract extension with the Clippers earlier this season. The agreement, according to Rivers, means he’ll forgo the option he had to get out of his contract this summer.

Rivers’ public comments might do little to cool speculation over whether he’ll consider joining the Lakers, who entered Wednesday with a 31-40 record despite signing LeBron James last offseason. After all, as Rivers acknowledged, he’s “very close friends” with Lakers president Magic Johnson.

But the Clippers have had surprising success under Rivers this season and could be big players in free agency a few months from now. And Rivers seemingly wants to stick around for the long haul.

“I came here for a lot of reasons, and one of them was obviously to win a world championship, and the other one was to make this a place that people respect and want to come here,” Rivers said. “I think we are accomplishing that part, but not the first part, yet. That’s my goal and that’s it. We don’t need to go on this anymore, thank you, please. I’m going to be here and I am looking forward to the future.”

Either way, it’s fair to assume Walton’s days in L.A. probably are numbered, right?

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