Former Celtics guard reveals how Doc Rivers cost him $1.5 million
Feb 6, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers looks on during the third quarter of the game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
11-year NBA veteran Nate Robinson recently admitted that he still has lingering beef with Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers.
Robinson appeared on this week’s episode of “The OGs” podcast hosted by Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller. When Rivers became the topic of conversation, Robinson shared how the coach once cost him a sizable chunk of change.
“I’ve still got a little beef with Doc. I had in my contract where I made like $2 million or $1.5 million, something like that if I played a certain amount of games. Doc Rivers gives me a DNP the game where I needed one more game to get $1.5 million.
“I never even asked him, but I know he did that s–t on purpose,” said Robinson.
Nate Robinson calls out his former coach Doc Rivers
“It seems like he mess up every place he goes…”
(🎥 @theOGsShow / https://t.co/NJ0qOWmUcZ)! pic.twitter.com/WlRYkr8WA3
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 12, 2024
A “DNP” stands for “did not play,” which is loosely used to refer to a coach benching a player for an entire game.
Robinson was traded from the New York Knicks to the Boston Celtics before the 2010 NBA trade deadline. Rivers was the Celtics’ head coach at the time.
Robinson wasn’t referring to the final game of the regular season given that he had played in the final four contests for Boston.
Robinson missed 23 games with the Knicks before getting traded 53 games into their 2009-10 season. Boston had two more games than New York after the 2010 deadline, which hinted at Robinson potentially chasing a 60-game incentive worth $1.5 million that year.
Rivers sat Robinson for his first three games after the Celtics acquired the guard in February 2010. Those three missed games capped Robinson’s maximum number of games played to 58 even if he played in every game the rest of the way. Robinson finished with 56 games played that season.
