While Donald Trump plans to enlist legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre in the battleground state of Wisconsin on Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is turning to another local sports hero: Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers.
A former star point guard at a local Jesuit college, Milwaukee’s Marquette University, Rivers was an NBA All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks, he won a title as head coach of the Boston Celtics in 2008, and he has remained one of the most visible figures in the league. Now, after meeting with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff at a campaign stop last week, Rivers is appearing in a campaign ad for Harris.
‘We have 30 seconds for one last play,’ Rivers said in the ad, which takes place on an outdoor court and is based around a fictional pep talk ahead of Tuesday’s election.
‘Doug, you’re going to travel all these swing states, right?’
Rivers gives some more instructions to his grassroots team of Harris supporters before turning to the camera and imploring viewers to get active.
The ad includes Rivers (far right) and Emhoff (in the hat) and focuses on a fictional pep talk
Doc Rivers gives Harris a much-needed local voice to help win voters in a battleground state
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers watches during the first half on Friday
‘And all of you: You must head to IWillVote.com to make your plan to vote,’ Rivers said.
Of course, NBA fans had a few thing to say about the ad, which seemed to rely on Rivers’ reputation as a late-game technician.
However, his teams’ struggles in recent years have somewhat dimmed Rivers’ standing in the NBA coaching hierarchy.
‘If Doc Rivers is drawing up Democrats’ fourth quarter plan it really might be joever,’ wrote Jezebel’s Kylie Cheung.
‘Who is Ben Simmons in this scenario?’ asked one critic, referring to a player Rivers butted heads with during their shared time in Philadelphia.
The son of a Chicago cop, Rivers has been an outspoken supporter of Harris and Barack Obama.
Kamala Harris’ run for the Oval Office is getting an assist from former NBA point guard and current Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers.
The son of a Chicago cop, Rivers appeared in a campaign ad with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. During this campaign, he was named co-chair of ‘Athletes for Harris,’ which also includes Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
However, as he told Milwaukee’s WISN, Rivers doesn’t stump for Harris in the locker room. Instead, he explained, the long-time coach wants players to use their voices for whatever purpose they choose.
‘I tell them to speak out,’ Rivers said. ‘I don’t tell them who to vote for. I never do that. I tell them to speak out, let them hear your voice and feel good about it, either side. I don’t know how anyone is on the other side, but that’s just my opinion. That doesn’t make me right. I’m just speaking what I believe.’