ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that one of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s favourite assistant coaches is departing the Milwaukee Bucks. Josh Oppenheimer is going back to college.“ESPN Sources: Former Milwaukee Bucks assistant Josh Oppenheimer is joining Porter Moser’s staff at Oklahoma,” Wojnarowski wrote on his X (previously Twitter). “Oppenheimer — who had a close working relationship with Giannis Antetokounmpo — will take on a significant role in player development and offensive strategy.”
Oppenheimer’s initial collegiate coaching experiences spanned more than a decade, with four seasons as an assistant at Duquesne and Delaware. Then he went to Kent State before spending the previous eleven years in the NBA.
He spent the majority of his 11-year career with the Bucks, but also played for the Houston Rockets in 2016-17 and the Brooklyn Nets’ G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, in 2017-18. Adrian Griffin, the Bucks’ former head coach, retained Oppenheimer after being fired midseason in favour of Doc Rivers.
Former Sixth Man Lou Williams endorses Doc Rivers
Doc Rivers took over as the Bucks’ head coach in late January. But he couldn’t get Milwaukee past their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton, an All-Star, eliminated Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
Many believe this is one of Rivers’ final chances to win a second championship as a head coach. After 20+ years of experience, including a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008, 2024-25 will mark his first full season with the Bucks. And as the expectation on Milwaukee to dethrone the 2024 champion Celtics mounts, all eyes will be on how Rivers tackles the upcoming season.
One of Doc’s previous players is retired sixth-man specialist Lou Williams, who spent four years with the Los Angeles Clippers under his coaching. He claims that Rivers not only convinced him to sign with the Clippers during his playing days, but also provided him with the best years of his career, according to Athlon Sports.
“Doc, I love you. Doc has a grey region. Either the guys genuinely love him, or they have the worst things to say about Doc. “That wasn’t my experience,” Williams explained. “There are a few guys who don’t mesh well with Doc. I have to tell you, that was not my experience, man. When I arrived, I assumed my career was over, therefore I was not excited to be a Clipper. Doc reassured me. That turned out to be the best run of my career. That made people appreciate everything I put into it, and I credit Doc a lot for that.
Williams won three Sixth Man of the Year awards (2015, 2018, 2019), including two with Doc and the Clippers, tying previous Clipper Jamal Crawford for the most in NBA history.