The former Bucks forward went viral as he blamed the coaching arrival of Rivers for the Bucks' continued downslide.
In the wake of the intensified trade noise around Giannis Antetokounmpo and the continued brutal downslide of the Milwaukee Bucks, Jae Crowder made recent headlines as he delivered a social media jab against Doc Rivers.
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On X (formerly Twitter), Crowder blamed Rivers' arrival for all the mess that's happening around the Bucks. The veteran forward also highlighted that he and Milwaukee were winning during the 2023-24 season, until the seasoned coach arrived to replace Adrian Griffin.
Crowder's post already drew thousands of reactions. And addressing this matter on his own, Rivers offered intriguing remarks about the root cause of the 35-year-old's ranting.
“Well that’s just a nice thing to say. ... Usually there’s a reason behind it, usually it’s called playing time," he told reporters about Crowder's X post (h/t Rachel Nichols).
Crowder was a regular starter and contributor for Griffin during the initial portion of the 2023-24 season for the Bucks. But injuries have hindered him from maintaining a consistent role around Rivers.
He appeared in 50 games throughout that regular season, averaging 6.2 points and 3.2 boards with 42.2 percent shooting (34.9 percent from three) across 23.1 minutes.
The Bucks hired Griffin in 2023 to be their new head coach following the dismissal of Mike Budenholzer. But due to defensive issues and reported tensions with players, including Giannis, the franchise fired him and subsequently hired Rivers.
Rivers led the Bucks to two postseason appearances, but they failed to advance beyond the first round in the last two seasons.
This 2025-26, he and the Bucks are enduring a brutal season with an 18-27 record, which stands 11th in the East standings.
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