🏀 Doc Rivers apologized to Giannis by text, ESPN's Spears says
Marc Spears says Rivers apologized by text for the IQ remark about Giannis Antetokounmpo. No public reply found in the reports read. 🗣️
By MrMuscles, sports desk · Desk editor Gustavs Ērkšķis-Kreicbergs · · 2 min read
REPORTEDPhoto: All-Pro Reels · CC BY-SA 2.0What we know
- ESPN's Marc Spears said on NBA Today that Doc Rivers texted Giannis Antetokounmpo to apologize for mentioning a player's IQ, per an EssentiallySports report on Yahoo Sports.
- The remark came on The Bill Simmons Podcast, where Rivers said Antetokounmpo has great passing ability but not "super IQ", per the same report.
- After Miami beat the Sacramento Kings 114-108, Antetokounmpo told reporters the question was one to put to Rivers: "that's on him, that's not on me."
- The Heat acquired Antetokounmpo from the Bucks on July 6, 2026, and the Bucks fired Rivers after the season, per NBA.com.
Doc Rivers has reportedly apologized to Giannis Antetokounmpo by text message for questioning the Miami Heat star's basketball IQ. The apology was first reported Nov 9, at 3:27 AM ET, and the account traces back to ESPN's Marc Spears, according to an EssentiallySports report carried by Yahoo Sports.
Who says what
Spears said on ESPN's NBA Today that Rivers sent the text after Spears contacted him about the remarks, per the Yahoo Sports report. Only that account of the text is in the reports read. No one has published the message itself.
"The feel for the game was something he wanted to talk about, not the IQ. He said he felt really bad about even mentioning somebody's IQ in any capacity and apologised for that in the text,"
Marc Spears on ESPN's NBA Today, as quoted by Yahoo Sports (EssentiallySports)
The original comment came on The Bill Simmons Podcast. Rivers, discussing his time coaching Milwaukee, said Antetokounmpo is hard to coach because of his downhill style, according to the same report.
"He has this great passing ability, but he doesn't necessarily have this super IQ at the same time,"
Doc Rivers on The Bill Simmons Podcast, as quoted by Yahoo Sports (EssentiallySports)
Rivers also told Spears that difficult is not an insult, per Spears's account. "Superstars are tough to coach, you know. LeBron's tough to coach, Luka's tough to coach," Rivers said, as relayed by Spears. The IQ line is the part he reportedly owned as a mistake.
The response
Antetokounmpo spoke before the apology was reported. Asked about the remarks after Miami's 114-108 win over the Sacramento Kings, he said this, per Yahoo Sports.
"You have his number, right? You do. I know you do. You gotta go ask him why he thought that; that's on him, that's not on me,"
Giannis Antetokounmpo to reporters after Miami's 114-108 win over the Sacramento Kings, via Yahoo Sports (EssentiallySports)
The reports read do not say how Antetokounmpo responded to the text, or whether he has seen it. Yahoo Sports says whether it changes his view of his former coach "remains unclear." No public response from the Heat or the league was found in the reports read.
What happens next
No source states a league step, a deadline or a planned conversation. On the court, NBC Sports lists Antetokounmpo as probable for Tuesday's game against the Jazz with a sprained right wrist.
Backstory
The Heat landed Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee on July 6, 2026, in a trade NBA.com called a blockbuster, and it reports the Bucks fired Rivers as coach after the season. Miami started 4-6, per Yahoo Sports. After a loss to the Lakers Antetokounmpo said, "Right now, we don't trust one another." MrMuscles notes the locker-room talk is now running on two teams.
As of Nov 10, 2:50 AM ET, the confirmed part is the podcast remark and Antetokounmpo's public reply. The apology rests on Spears's account as reported by EssentiallySports on Yahoo Sports. The text has not been published, and no response from Antetokounmpo to it has been found.
Quick quiz · 3 questions
By the numbers
- 7y 6mfrom first to latest entry on record
- 4receipts behind this story
Earlier on file: Biggest NBA fines for comments ranked: Sterling $2.5M first
The Doc Rivers file
- Reported
Reportedly texted Giannis Antetokounmpo an apology for the IQ remark, per Marc Spears on ESPN. This story
- Reported
Said on The Bill Simmons Podcast that Giannis Antetokounmpo lacks "super IQ", per Yahoo Sports. This story
- Ruled
NBA fined the Clippers $50,000 for violating its anti-tampering rule over Rivers' comments on Kawhi Leonard on ESPN. Biggest NBA fines for comments ranked: Sterling $2.5M first
On file: The Doc Rivers file · The Giannis Antetokounmpo file · The Miami Heat file
The Ledger
On the record
- Rivers made the IQ remark on The Bill Simmons Podcast, and Antetokounmpo answered publicly after the Kings game, per Yahoo Sports.
Still rumour
- The text apology, known only through Marc Spears's account on ESPN; the message is unpublished and Antetokounmpo's reaction to it is not reported.
That's the record. The rest is rumour. - MrMuscles
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