MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 23: Head coach Doc Rivers of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on during the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Fiserv Forum on January 23, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and ag …
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers has been named a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026, while Bucks legend Marques Johnson is a Veterans Committee finalist.
What we know:
Announced on Wednesday, Feb. 11, Rivers is a first-time finalist in the coaching category. He is the winningest active NBA head coach, compiling a 1,183-846 record and moving into sixth place on the league’s all-time wins list when he passed George Karl on Dec. 29, 2025.
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The 1999-00 NBA Coach of the Year, Rivers was also voted in 2022 as one of the 15 greatest coaches in league history by a panel of current and former coaches working with the National Basketball Coaches Association.
Before arriving in Milwaukee during the 2023-24 season, Rivers served as head coach of the Orlando Magic, the Celtics, the LA Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Dig deeper:
Johnson was named a finalist for the Veterans Committee. A three-time All-NBA selection and five-time All-Star, he played 11 NBA seasons, including seven with Milwaukee from 1977-84.
American basketball player Marques Johnson, of the Milwaukee Bucks, November 4th 1980. (Photo by UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
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Johnson later returned to the organization as a television analyst and became the ninth player in team history to have his jersey retired.
What's next:
The Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 will be unveiled April 4 at the NCAA Final Four.
The Source: The Milwaukee Bucks provided information in this report.