Black History Month: African-American head coaches in L.A.
By Evan Lovett
Doc Rivers
Clippers, 2013 – current
The hiring of Doc Rivers was something of a coup for the Clippers, who made the acquisition in exchange for a draft pick from the Celtics.
Rivers had 14 years of experience and a championship pedigree at the time of the trade.
He paid immediate dividends, winning a team-record 57 games his first season and earning the number three seed in the Western Conference.
Unfortunately, then-owner Donald Sterling was involved in a racially-tinged release of recordings that marred the Clippers postseason, which ended in a conference semifinals loss.
With new ownership the following season, Rivers stayed on board and was promoted to President of Basketball Operations, and led the Clippers to a 56-win season and another loss in the conference semifinals.
Rivers still remains at the helm of the Clippers, and it appears that their once-promising Championship window is now closing.