With James Harden having one foot out the door with the 76ers amid his trade demand, former coach Doc Rivers made an appearance on ESPN’s NBA Today where he addressed what his relationship was like with the star guard. Rivers was fired after the 76ers were eliminated from the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Celtics in seven games.
Rivers coached Harden for a season-and-a-half in Philadelphia and bluntly explained that they weren’t necessarily close.
“It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t good,” Rivers said. “It was pretty much neutral. It was an honest relationship at the end of the day. I was very honest. I really believe there’s ways you have to play to win and, obviously, I was never willing to compromise on that. It was a relationship of communication. I can tell you, we talked when we needed to talk all the time.”
