Coaches Can Lead the Way

Doc Rivers’ recent interview highlights coaches' unique role in reaching young men

Doc Rivers, the former NBA All-Star and now head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, joined Deadline: White House anchor Nicole Wallace last week for a wide-ranging conversation covering everything from identity politics to sports activism. Rivers may not be the first politically outspoken figure in the basketball world–Steve Kerr spoke at last August’s DNC and Stephen A. Smith has been publicly weighing a 2028 run–but as a coach and mentor, his perspective on leadership and character carry special weight.

According to the latest Young Men Research Project (YMRP) poll, 55% of young men in the U.S. say they follow professional basketball regularly, making it the most popular sport. This gives NBA players and coaches, in particular, an outsized influence not only in shaping how young men view sports, but also in defining what it means to be a leader, teammate, and advocate for larger social issues. In fact, YMRP’s 2024 poll found that coaches are viewed by young men of all races and political ideologies as supportive of “men like me.”

Rivers came to the interview prepared to opine on just about every topic, admitting that if not for basketball, he might find himself in politics. He was quick to criticize what he believes are strategic errors on the left, primarily in its messaging. Rivers argues the party is playing a strong hand weakly vis-a-vis the economy, saying “We [Democrats] do the economy well, yet no one hears that.” He cited the famous study that Democratic presidents consistently boast stronger economies than their Republican counterparts, calling the GOP’s ability to convince voters otherwise the “greatest marketing coup in the history of marketing.”

Speaking as a coach who knows a thing or two about discipline, Rivers insists that more of this trait is needed to counter the White House’s flood-the-zone strategy. When asked if he sees this discipline in any of the party’s current leaders, he paused, briefly considering his friend Cory Booker … before ultimately replying “not yet.”

Given his role as a male leader and coach, Wallace pressed Rivers on post-election narratives that the ‘manosphere’ has embraced Trump and that liberals are ‘emasculating’ male voters. Rather than offering a direct answer, he pointed to what he sees as a larger problem: Democrats’ failure to take responsibility for its electoral shortcomings. He called it “backwards” for the Left to blame Trump’s voters for his victory, arguing that the onus is on the losing party to offer something that inspires voters. Later in the conversation, Rivers praised progress towards women's rights and the national response to George Floyd’s murder, yet asked pointedly: “When’s the last time you see men excited about something in that way?”

Building on this critique, Rivers echoed a common complaint within the party: that its broad and diverse coalition makes it harder to unify. Senator Cory Booker supposedly told Rivers that “We [Democrats] don’t just have the white male,” emphasizing how much harder it is to reach consensus over any given issue. No doubt this aligns with public opinion and the fact that Trump’s core supporters remain White men. Nonetheless, the president made significant gains across racial lines in the last election, including a marked increase in his share of the Black male vote.

Rivers effectively acknowledged this shift when he attacked the post-election finger-pointing. “The majority of Black men did vote for Kamala … It’s just that there … wasn’t enough people.” Beneath the numbers, Rivers senses a latent hopelessness–a belief that neither party truly cares about them.

“A lot of Black men are saying now, it doesn’t matter … we’re not being helped … we’re still being incarcerated.”

The tendency to unfairly single out Black men isn’t limited to politics, a point Rivers made clear while discussing the Donald Sterling controversy. Sterling, the former Clippers owner, was banned from the NBA after recordings surfaced of him disparaging Black people. Rivers recalled how the spotlight somehow shifted to his own players, who were fielding questions from the media like “Will you play?” or “Will you wear the Clippers logo?”

Race was a central theme of the conversation, with the two agreeing that the subject has been muzzled in American discourse as a casualty of the assault on DEI and wokeness. Rivers drew a sharp contrast between Germany’s post-WWII reckoning, praising its efforts to eradicate Nazi ideology and symbolism, and noting that the U.S. has yet to confront its history of slavery in the same way.

“They changed woke into something completely different … I’m a Black man. When I see a Confederate flag, I’m angry and scared … I don’t think that’s woke, I think that’s being real.”

The broader erasure of history in schools and culture is all the more alarming to Rivers and Wallace. They pointed to the DoD’s erasure of Jackie Robinson’s military service page as an example of just how far “grievance politics” has gone. Wallace argued canceling DEI isn’t just about erasing Black history:

“It’s about making white people ignorant … somebody on the right thinks that you’ll make a White kid feel bad … there’s literally no example of that happening ever.”

Wallace asked Coach Rivers if sports has a role to play in thwarting these erasures and preserving history, or if the “shut up and dribble” mentality has gripped the NBA. Rivers dismissed the suggestion that players have gone silent, though he wishes that more would use their platform.

“The league is full of exactly the kind of players you need to care … young, successful people who know discipline,” he said, noting their strong ties to communities and role model status for younger generations. He named veteran players like Brook Lopez and Pat Connaughton who are eager to engage in these conversations, but said many younger players are either too focused on basketball or think only the biggest stars should step outside their lane.

–

In a deeply polarized country–reflected in most fan bases–the instinct to stay out of the limelight is hardly surprising. But from ICE’s presence near Dodger Stadium to visa uncertainty surrounding South Sudanese NBA lottery pick Khaman Maluach, to more symbolic choices like whether to visit the White House, politics is forcing many to take a stand.

For many boys and young men, coaches and athletes are more powerful role models than any political figure will ever be. They embody the traits we revere most in American culture, and their actions and statements (or lack thereof) inevitably rub off on those who admire them. In today’s cultural moment–when some of America’s most celebrated heroes, like Jackie Robinson, are being expunged from the record books, or Trump’s immigration policies bleed into basketball–voices like Rivers are all the more important in raising attention and shaping conversation.

The future Hall of Famer recognizes this unique responsibility and believes that sports can once again help lead the way. His experience navigating the Sterling saga, when players across the league stood together, fuels his belief in sports’ capacity to drive change. Off the court, he’s holding onto hope that a new leader will emerge. Rivers vividly recalls a road game against the Houston Rockets on November 4, 2008:

“We’re about to go out, and I’m choked up … I called another time out and I told our guys, ‘Hey guys, Obama just won.’ And I know there’s that video of us jumping up and down … That’s where we got to get back to somehow.”