In this article
MIAMI — Carmelo Anthony questioned why Doc Rivers went public with his criticism of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Anthony said on Thursday’s episode of 7PM in Brooklyn that Rivers should have taken it up with Antetokounmpo in the locker room.
Rivers coached Antetokounmpo with the Milwaukee Bucks for parts of three seasons. He took over in the middle of the 2023-24 season and stepped down in April, after Milwaukee went 32-50 and missed the playoffs.
The Bucks traded Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat in a deal that became official July 6.
Before Anthony weighed in, the episode played a clip of Rivers on The Bill Simmons Podcast from earlier this month. Rivers praised Antetokounmpo’s passing in the clip. He also said Antetokounmpo did not necessarily have a super IQ.
Rivers said Antetokounmpo played one way: downhill, forcing the issue on every play.
“I wish he learned how to execute better,” Rivers said in the clip.
Carmelo Anthony Says Doc Rivers Should Have Talked To Giannis Antetokounmpo Directly
Anthony’s first point was that the force Rivers described is the foundation of Antetokounmpo’s game.
“You really got to break that down though into certain into a couple pieces though,” Anthony said, “that conversation that what he said, what Doc Rivers said, because that is Giannis’ game. It’s relentless, it’s going at you, it’s physical, it’s forceful, it’s powerful. It’s not a shot at him to say it’s no finesse to his game.”
Anthony played 19 NBA seasons before retiring in 2023 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025. The 10-time All-Star now works as a studio analyst for NBC Sports, the same network Rivers joined as an analyst after leaving the Bucks.
Anthony said a player cannot come out ahead in a dispute with a coach.
“As a former player it’s easy for the player to get the blame,” Anthony said. “It’s just an easy target. No player is going to win a player-coach situation. But that’s something that you have in the locker room and you talk to Giannis and if it’s something going on, you have that conversation with him.”
Antetokounmpo played a career-low 36 games in 2025-26. He hyperextended his left knee on March 15 and did not play again that season.
Anthony said Rivers had seen Antetokounmpo up close through injuries and the push to win in Milwaukee.
“To me, I’m that communication is key,” Anthony said. “You coach me. You’ve been in the bunker with me. You know what I had to go through with injuries and play everybody and trying to win and what we had to prepare and you know where I’m at. So to pinpoint just that part of his game. He’s not saying he’s not saying nothing wrong, but it’s just why. Like, what is the point of saying that as far as the execution part of it, right?”
The Bucks received four players and a package of draft picks in the trade. Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee to the 2021 championship and left as the franchise’s all-time leader in games, points, rebounds, assists, and blocked shots.
Anthony agreed with part of Rivers’ basketball assessment.
“Yes, it’s very, it’s very difficult to be out there with Giannis,” Anthony said. “You have to be a certain type of player to be on the court with Giannis. That’s not a secret.”
After a brief interjection from a co-host, Anthony made one more point about the way Antetokounmpo plays.
“Giannis is doing what he did when he won a championship,” Anthony said. “That’s why we love Giannis.”
Rivers Clarifies IQ Remark After Antetokounmpo Responds
Antetokounmpo told reporters this week he was “speechless” when asked about Rivers’ comments, according to The Athletic.
Rivers told Rob Tornoe of The Philadelphia Inquirer this week that he could have phrased the comments better and had meant them as a compliment.
“I used the word IQ, which you should never use,” Rivers said. “I should have used feel.”
Rivers also said coaching a great player is difficult, but that it does not make Antetokounmpo hard to coach.
Join the conversation