Doc Rivers reportedly voted into Basketball Hall of Fame

Boston Celtics

Rivers is reportedly part of a Class of 2026 that includes Amar’e Stoudemire, Candace Parker, and Elena Delle Donne.

Former Celtics head coach Doc Rivers is reportedly heading to Springfield. 

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Rivers will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026 later this year — joining a group that also includes Amar’e Stoudemire, Candace Parker, and Elena Delle Donne. 

Rivers, an All-Star point guard who played 14 seasons in the NBA, has coached for the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks in a post-playing career that has spanned nearly 30 years.

He helped guide the Celtics to a long-awaited 17th championship during the 2007-08 season, rallying a reworked Boston roster that added two future Hall-of-Famers in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in the span of one offseason to pair with Paul Pierce.

Under Rivers’ messaging of “Ubuntu,” a Celtics team balancing several star players hit the court running in their first season together, winning 66 games in the regular season en route to the team’s first championship since 1986. 

Rivers, who coached the Celtics from 2004-13, also led Boston to the NBA Finals in 2010, with Boston falling to the Lakers in a crushing Game 7 loss in Los Angeles. In total, Rivers advanced to the postseason in seven of his nine seasons with Boston. 

Rivers, 64, holds an all-time record of 1,191-861 across 27 seasons as a head coach. He stands as one of just 11 coaches in NBA history who have won at least 1,000 career games. 

Rivers is currently leading a 2025-26 Bucks team that is 29-45 on the year. 

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be enshrined on Aug. 15 in Springfield.

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.