SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Among the basketball superstars headlining candidacy for the Naismith Memorial Hall Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 are two pivotal figures within the Milwaukee Bucks organization: Head coach Doc Rivers and former player and current TV analyst, Marques Johnson.
Rivers, 63, has more than 40 years of Hall of Fame caliber basketball experience including success at the high school, collegiate and NBA level, both as a coach and player. He was named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history during the league’s 75th anniversary celebration
The Marquette Golden Eagles legend has been part of several decade-defining teams as an NBA coach, including a Tracy McGrady-led Magic team in the early 2000s, a Celtics team headlined by Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen in the late 2000s, the ‘Lob City’ Clippers — an era that changed the course of history for L.A.’s second fiddle NBA team, helped Joel Embiid win his first MVP award in Philadelphia, and is now leading a championship-contending Bucks squad led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
He won the NBA Coach of the Year Award with the Orlando Magic in 2000, his first NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008, and most recently won the second-ever NBA Cup title in his second year with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Johnson, 68, spent seven of his 11 NBA seasons in Milwaukee, where his number has since been retired. He achieved four All-Star appearances (1979-81 & 1983) with the Bucks and has his number retired by the team. He is the host of the Hear District podcast under the Bucks Plus Audio platform — a partnership with WTMJ’s parent company, Good Karma Brands — and has been a TV analyst covering Bucks basketball since 2015.
Other Hoops Hall’s Class of 2025 candidates include Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, Dwight Howard, Maya Moore, Billy Donovan and Mark Few.
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