Doc Rivers says 'difficult' Giannis Antetokounmpo 'didn't want to be the bad guy' while forcing Bucks exit

Former Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Giannis Antetokounmpo was difficult to coach and "didn't want to be the bad guy" amid the saga that ultimately led to his trade to the Miami Heat this summer.

Rivers, who coached the Bucks for two and a half seasons from 2024-26, said on "The Bill Simmons Podcast" that the ordeal dragged on for so long because Antetokounmpo "kept yo-yoing" with his desire to leave Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo never publicly requested a trade. 

Like any small-market star, Antetokounmpo had been the subject of trade rumors since he emerged as an MVP-caliber player, but the questions about his future really amped up in recent years as the Bucks' title window closed and he moved closer to unrestricted free agency. 

The Bucks had the opportunity to trade Antetokounmpo after the 2024-25 season, which ended with another first-round exit after Damian Lillard tore his Achilles tendon. Instead, Milwaukee waived Lillard and stretched his contract, which will now be on their books until 2030, and signed Myles Turner to a four-year, $108 million deal in a desperate attempt to keep Antetokounmpo around. The plan did not work; the Bucks missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2016, and eventually traded Antetokounmpo when it became clear that he would not sign an extension. 

"In [Bucks general manager Jon Horst's] defense, I thought Giannis kept yo-yoing," Rivers said when discussing what went wrong in Milwaukee over the last few seasons. "When I look back on that whole situation, Giannis wanted out, but he was a Buck. He didn't want to be the bad guy. He wanted Jon and [co-owner Wes Edens] and those guys to say, 'We're trading you,' instead of him asking for a trade. To me, that was the game that was being played."

Everyone could see that Antetokounmpo, who led the Bucks to the 2021 NBA championship, was torn about leaving the only franchise he had ever known, and the city where he had spent nearly half of his life, but it's still notable to hear Rivers confirm it. 

Rivers: Antetokounmpo is 'really a difficult guy'

Rivers' more interesting comments were about how hard it was for him to coach Antetokounmpo: 

"He's not easy. He plays at this crazy downhill pace. He's really a difficult guy. I was telling someone this. He has this great passing ability, but he doesn't necessarily have a super IQ at the same time. It's really a strange thing. And he really has only one way -- downhill, force, force, force. Every play, he wants to force it. I wish he'd learned how to execute better. 

"He's one of those guys, you get a lot of them from the U.S., AAU guys that have never needed to execute, because they can do it on their own. But that doesn't help the team. I told Giannis this: The thing he still needs to learn is the value of execution. How important it is, when you're in practice and at shootaround, to lock in on execution. Now he has a coach who's as good as there is in execution." 

"He's not easy. He plays at this crazy downhill pace. He's really a difficult guy. I was telling someone this. He has this great passing ability, but he doesn't necessarily have a super IQ at the same time. It's really a strange thing. And he really has only one way -- downhill, force, force, force. Every play, he wants to force it. I wish he'd learned how to execute better. 

"He's one of those guys, you get a lot of them from the U.S., AAU guys that have never needed to execute, because they can do it on their own. But that doesn't help the team. I told Giannis this: The thing he still needs to learn is the value of execution. How important it is, when you're in practice and at shootaround, to lock in on execution. Now he has a coach who's as good as there is in execution." 

Antetokounmpo is a unique player and, like many all-time greats, incredibly stubborn. Those qualities helped him grow into a two-time MVP and lead the Bucks to their first title in 50 years. They also made it challenging to build a roster around him and led him to play through injuries that should have kept him on the sideline. 

There are certainly aspects of Antetokounmpo's style and approach that would make life difficult for any coach, but Rivers has been making excuses about his time with the Bucks since his introductory press conference, when he said, "I wouldn't wish this on anyone," about taking over a team with Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Khris Middleton mid-season. 

It was also a bit strange to hear Rivers say that Antetokounmpo, who scored 50 points in a title-clinching game on 16 of 25 from the field and 17 of 19 from the free-throw line, needs to learn the value of execution. 

Rivers was not retained after the 2026 season and Antetokounmpo, along with Bobby Portis, was traded to the Heat in June. In return, the Bucks received Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round picks, a second-round pick and a pick swap. 

Both teams are off to rough starts this season. While the Bucks are 1-7 as they begin their rebuild, the Heat are 3-6. Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.3 points, 12.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. 

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