(MILWAUKEE BUCKS) – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame today announced that Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers has been named a finalist as a coach for the Class of 2026 election, and Bucks legend Marques Johnson has been named a finalist as a player for the Veterans Committee.
A first-time finalist, Rivers is the winningest active NBA head coach. With a 1,183-846 (.583) coaching record, he ranks sixth in all-time wins among NBA head coaches after passing George Karl on Dec. 29, 2025. The 1999-00 NBA Coach of the Year, Rivers was named one of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA history in 2022 by a panel of 43 current and former NBA head coaches in collaboration with the National Basketball Coaches Association.
Rivers led the Boston Celtics to an NBA championship in 2008. He has amassed 114 playoff wins in his career, which are the fourth-most all-time. Of his 21 playoff appearances, 17 have come in the past 18 seasons going back to 2008, with the 2025 postseason marking his seventh-consecutive playoff trip.
After beginning his head coaching career with the Orlando Magic from 1999-03, Rivers has since served as head coach of the Celtics (2004-13), LA Clippers (2013-20) and Philadelphia 76ers (2020-23) prior to coming to Milwaukee during the 2023-24 season.
Joining Rivers as North American Committee finalists for the Class of 2026 are Joey Crawford (referee), Mark Few (coach), Blake Griffin (player), Kevin Johnson (player), Gary McKnight (coach), Dick Motta (coach), Kelvin Sampson (coach), Amar’e Stoudemire (player), Jerry Welsh (coach) and Buck Williams (player).
A three-time All-NBA honoree and five-time All-Star selection, Johnson played in 691 career games in 11 seasons with the Bucks (1977-1984), Clippers (1984-1987) and Golden State Warriors (1989-1990). He holds career averages of 20.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 34.3 minutes per game. The third overall pick by Milwaukee in the 1977 NBA Draft, Johnson helped lead the Bucks to the playoffs six times, including two Eastern Conference Finals appearances. He ranks among Milwaukee’s all-time leaders in several statistical categories, including second in offensive rebounds (1,468), fourth in total rebounds (3,923), fifth in defensive rebounds (2,455), fifth in field goal percentage (.530), eighth in total points (10,980), eighth in steals (697), ninth in minutes played (18,240) and 10th in blocks (439). A current TV analyst with Milwaukee, Johnson became the ninth player in Bucks history to have his jersey retired.
The Class of 2026 will be unveiled on April 4 at the NCAA Final Four.
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