Doc Rivers felt nervous on the morning he expected a call from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame about whether he would be inducted as a coach in the Class of 2026. Rejection a year earlier during his first bid did nothing to ease his tension. The 64-year-old felt his anxiety grow as his phone stayed silent. “It’s so funny. They tell you a time period. Like, ‘Hey, the Hall is going to call between 9 and 11.’ That call doesn’t mean it’s a good call,” Rivers told Andscape from the Ritz-Carlton Charlotte on April 18. “And I had physical therapy that morning from 8 to 9. Right after, I told the therapist, ‘Hey, I got to be done about five minutes earlier today.’ I drove to the office, so right at 9 I walked in the office and there’s no phone ringing. I’m like, ‘OK. So there ain’t a cellphone call.’
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: “It’s so funny. They tell you a time period. Like, …