Rivers played college basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles and was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 1983 NBA draft.

He played point guard for the Hawks from 1983 to 1991 and was later a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, and San Antonio Spurs.

[2] He was given his nickname while attending a summer basketball camp at Marquette University while wearing a "Dr. J" t-shirt of Philadelphia 76ers player Julius Erving.

[3] Rivers has alternated on whether the nickname originated from Golden Eagles head coach Al McGuire or assistant Rick Majerus.

Rivers played point guard for the Atlanta Hawks from 1983 to 1991,[8] assisting star Dominique Wilkins as the team found great regular season success.

He was named the tournaments MVP after leading the United States to the gold medal game where they lost against the Soviet Union, 94–95, after Rivers' eight-foot jumper at the buzzer rimmed out.

However, Duncan re-signed with the San Antonio Spurs due to Rivers' strict policy of family members not being allowed to travel in the team's plane.

[18] After spending a year working as a commentator for the NBA on ABC (calling the 2004 Finals with Al Michaels), he was hired by the Boston Celtics as their head coach in 2004.

During his first years with the Celtics, he was criticized by many in the media for his coaching style, most vociferously by Bill Simmons, who in 2006 publicly called for Rivers to be fired in his columns.

[21] On June 17, 2008, Rivers won his first and sole NBA Championship as a head coach after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

Rivers led the Celtics to the 2010 NBA Finals, where they once again faced the Los Angeles Lakers, this time losing the series in seven games.

[23] On May 13, 2011, after months of rumors that he would retire, ESPN reported that the Celtics and Rivers had agreed upon a 5-year contract extension worth $35 million.

[26] On June 25, 2013, the Los Angeles Clippers acquired Rivers from the Celtics for an unprotected 2015 NBA first-round draft pick.

[27] In his first season as their head coach, Rivers led the Clippers to a franchise-record 57 wins, garnering the 3rd seed in the Western conference.

[28] On June 16, 2014, the Clippers promoted Rivers to president of basketball operations in conjunction with his continuing head coaching duties.

[36] In the 2019–20 season, Rivers earned his 900th win as a head coach after the Clippers won at home against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 8, 2019.

[44] On May 14, 2023, the 76ers lost the conference semifinals series to the Celtics;[45] two days later, Rivers was fired, ending his three-year tenure as head coach of the 76ers.

[46][47] Beginning in December 2023, Rivers began serving as an informal consultant to Milwaukee Bucks first-year coach Adrian Griffin at the team's request.

[50] On December 17, 2024, under the leadership of head coach Doc Rivers, the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Cup final against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a score of 97-81.

Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered an impressive performance, recording a triple-double with 26 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists, earning him the title of Most Valuable Player for the event.