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Doc Rivers is certainly happy now that he's coaching the Los Angeles Clippers. However, that's not exactly the case in the beginning of their relationship.
In an interview with Arash Markazi of Los Angeles Times, Rivers opened up on what was a less-than-ideal start to his Clippers coaching career. Rivers apparently regretted going to the LA franchise three days into the job, noting how members of the front office and staff thought of him as the “devil.”
It didn't help that in his first meeting with the team, he questioned why the Clippers are celebrating mediocrity after being “the worst organization in the past 20 years.”
Article Continues Below“I thought I needed a change when I left Boston, and I thought going to the Clippers was the right thing to do, and I knew within three days I made a mistake,” Rivers said.“From the meetings with the organization to the attitude in the organization, they literally thought I was the devil.
“I remember the first meeting vividly. People were saying they’ve been there for 15 years or 20 years and I’m sitting there and I say, ‘No offense, this has been the worst organization in basketball for the last 20 years, why the [expletive] are we celebrating this?’ I’m just being honest. I’m not impressed by anyone who thinks longevity is good unless it’s successful longevity. The room got quiet and I knew I had made a lot of enemies, but I was good with that.”
Doc Rivers joined the Clippers in the summer of 2013 after nearly a decade with the Boston Celtics. Before joining the team though, the Clips were generally considered the laughingstock of the league — seldom making the postseason and often failing in draft, free agency and trades.
In the past few years, however, the team established themselves as consistent playoff contenders. Since Rivers took over and the franchise was sold to Steve Ballmer in 2014, the Clippers changed positively and became an ideal free agent destination.
The biggest and best proof of their change, perhaps, is the signing of Kawhi Leonard and acquisition of Paul George in the 2019 offseason. From being the butt of jokes, the Clippers are now legitimate title contenders.
Luckily for the Clips, Rivers decided to stay despite the ugly first encounter he had with them.
