Former Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers told Andscape on Monday that he reached out to the Miami Heat's Giannis Antetokounmpo to apologize for a remark he made about the star forward on a recent podcast.
Rivers, now an NBA analyst for NBC Sports, coached Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee for parts of three seasons before being relieved of his duties at the end of last season. Rivers said on an episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast" posted Thursday that Antetokounmpo "doesn't necessarily have this super IQ" for basketball and that he "really has one way: downhill, force, force."
Rivers told Andscape that he meant to say "feel for the game" instead of "super IQ," felt bad about the error and texted Antetokounmpo an apology, to which the player responded positively.
"I was saying he was one of the most interesting guys," Rivers said. "He makes unbelievable passes, but then at times, because of his force he plays at, it gets in the way of his feel. It was more of a compliment. I hate this and feel bad about it. I apologize for the distraction. I'm not trying to be one."
Rivers also said during the podcast that Antetokounmpo was "not easy" to coach. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach told Andscape that those comments were actually meant as a compliment to his greatness, not as a slight. Rivers also added that he made a lot of positive comments on the podcast about Antetokounmpo, including that he enjoyed coaching the former Bucks star, that were overlooked.
"The point I was trying to make is whenever you have a great player, you have to fit the team around that great player," Rivers told Andscape. "That is the point I was trying to make. It's not always easy. It's a compliment. I've been successful and unsuccessful at it. But your job is to create the best team you can possibly create around that great player and his talents."
Antetokounmpo addressed Rivers' comments Sunday, three days after the interview was published.
"First of all, he's not my coach," Antetokounmpo told reporters after Miami's 114-108 victory over the Kings. "My coach is [Erik Spoelstra], but [Rivers] is a guy -- a coach -- that I've worked with in the past. I'm speechless."
Antetokounmpo, 31, is averaging 27.5 points and 12.8 rebounds in his first season with the Heat, who have rebounded from a slow start and improved to 4-6 with Sunday's victory in Sacramento.
