Assistant coach leads the Milwaukee Bucks to victory as Coach Doc Rivers calls sick between matches

In an unexpected turn of events, the head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks , Doc Rivers , fell sick in the middle of a match. The Milwaukee Bucks were competing with the Philadelphia 76ers. During the first half of the match, coach Doc Rivers fell ill and had to leave the court. Despite his illness, the team scored a victory point over the 76ers.

How the Milwaukee Bucks won the match despite coach Doc Rivers falling sick

Darvin Ham has taken over the coaching duties for Doc Rivers, who is feeling ill tonight, per @TimBontemps pic.twitter.com/KOqFAlKjid

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 4, 2025

Coach Doc Rivers complained of pain in his stomach during the first half of the match. Post this, he left the bench and retreated to his office in the arena from where he saw the rest of the match. During his absence, the assistant coach , Darvin Ham , took over leading the team to a victory. The game ended with a score of 126-113.

Speaking to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Darvin Ham shared the events that occurred during the game. He shared, "He just tapped me on the shoulder, gave me the ATO play call sheet and said you got it from here man, my stomach is messed up." He further added, "Next man up, next men up. That's why you build a good crew like he's done. Some unfortunate circumstances but we were ready to keep it rolling."

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo shared his experience working with coach Darvin and the other coaches in Milwaukee Bucks. He shared, "I've been with coach Darvin, I think four years, five years with coach, I know his playbook, I know the way he operates.” Additionally, he also added, "At the end of the day I feel like we have a great coaching staff, guys that no matter if coach Doc, coach Darvin goes down the next guy can step up. Coach Dave (Joerger), could (Joe) Prunty, coach 'Buck' (Greg Buckner), even coach Vin (Baker) can step up and guide this team to a win."

Also Read: Giannis Antetokounmpo Creates Never-Before-Seen Record During Philadelphia 76ers Vs Milwaukee Bucks Game

Doc Rivers created NBA history

Congrats to Doc Rivers on the 7th-most wins by a head coach in NBA history! pic.twitter.com/GybMrUKvcs

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 4, 2025

When it comes to the accomplishments of Doc Rivers, he was a star player for 14 seasons. Post his retirement, he chose coaching NBA teams as a career. He is named one of the 15 Greatest Coaches in the history of the NBA. He won his first NBA Championship in 2008 with the Celtics. Additionally, he became the 10th coach in the history of NBA to reach 1000 wins. Responding to this marvelous victory under his belt, he wrote, “I had no idea that I was at 999. I don’t count. That’s not why I do it and this win being shorthanded, being in Chicago means a lot… and it also means I’m very lucky.”