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Doc Rivers Joins NBC Sports as NBA Analyst

By Drooid · Sep 21, 2026, 11:38 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Doc Rivers, former NBA coach, joins NBC Sports as a game analyst for the 2026-27 NBA season.
He said he is ‘absolutely retired’ after his Hall of Fame induction earlier this year.
Rivers will work alongside his son Austin Rivers, a Peacock lead analyst last season.
NBC’s NBA coverage begins Oct. 20 with a triple-header on NBC, Peacock and NBCSN.

History

Historical Context

After NBC won a $600 million NBA contract in 1990 that fueled the league’s 1990s boom, the network lost the rights in 2002 and only regained them with an 11-year, $2.5 billion-per-season deal beginning in the 2025-26 season. Doc Rivers’ 2026-27 analyst stint with his son on NBC, Peacock and the relaunched NBCSN mirrors that original multi-platform, family-friendly strategy.

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Story summary

Doc Rivers, former NBA coach, joins NBC Sports as a game analyst for the 2026-27 NBA season.
He said he is ‘absolutely retired’ after his Hall of Fame induction earlier this year.
Rivers will work alongside his son Austin Rivers, a Peacock lead analyst last season.
NBC’s NBA coverage begins Oct. 20 with a triple-header on NBC, Peacock and NBCSN.

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