Wisconsin athletics director Chris McIntosh is leaving the school to become the Big Ten’s deputy commissioner for strategy, sources told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg on Sunday, confirming multiple reports.

McIntosh will work closely with commissioner Tony Petitti and the league’s senior staff, sources told Rittenberg.

“On one hand it’s very difficult for me to transition away from a place that’s so important to me,” McIntosh told the Sports Business Journal. “On the other hand, it’s an incredible honor and an incredible opportunity to be able to transition to a position at the Big Ten and to work for an incredible leader like Commissioner Petitti and alongside some top-tier, very capable members of the Big Ten as we navigate a dynamic period for college athletics.”

McIntosh, 49, took over as athletic director in the summer of 2021 after the retirement of Barry Alvarez. He played football for the Badgers and was part of two Rose Bowl-winning teams coached by Alvarez.

McIntosh was named associate athletic director in 2014. He became deputy athletic director under Alvarez in 2017.

He fired football coach Paul Chryst midway through the 2023 season and hired Luke Fickell to replace him. Fickell has gone 17-21, including a 4-8 finish last year and a 5-7 mark in 2024 that snapped what had been a Power Four-leading streak of 22 consecutive winning seasons.

Also in 2023, McIntosh fired men’s hockey coach Tony Granato and brought in Mike Hastings from Minnesota State. Wisconsin reached the Frozen Four this season and lost 2-1 to Denver in the national title game Saturday.

During McIntosh’s tenure, Wisconsin has won three national championships in women’s hockey (2023, 2025 and 2026) and one in women’s volleyball (2021).

In July 2024, he signed five-year contract extension that ran through June 30, 2029.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Doc Rivers is out as the Milwaukee Bucks’ head coach, ESPN reported Sunday, citing sources.

Rivers left his broadcasting job to return to the NBA sidelines as the Bucks’ coach shortly after Adrian Griffin was fired 43 games into the 2023-24 season. Now Rivers exits Milwaukee after a 126-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, capping a 32-50 season that ended in a missed NBA playoff berth.

Rivers coached the Bucks to first-round playoff exits in each of the past two seasons.

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The Bucks will now launch their third head coaching search in the past three years. Rivers’ departure comes amid uncertainty surrounding the future of franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks will now launch their third head coaching search in the past three years. Rivers’ departure comes amid uncertainty surrounding the future of franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The NBA trade deadline passed in February without a deal involving Antetokounmpo. The two-time league MVP saw limited action in the 2025-26 season, appearing in a career-low 36 games.

Antetokounmpo dealt with a knee hyperextension and bone bruise during the season. He was later sidelined for a stretch of games, fueling speculation the Bucks shut him down despite his being healthy, prompting an NBA investigation into the handling of the star forward.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and head coach Doc Rivers of the Milwaukee Bucks talk before the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Oct. 28, 2025. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Antetokounmpo’s frustration boiled over as he insisted he was healthy enough to play despite being sidelined for a 10th straight game when Milwaukee faced the Boston Celtics on April 3.

“I’ve never seen a case of a player saying, my caliber of player, that’s like — I’m saying it publicly — I want to f—ing play. You know what I’m saying?” he said, via The Athletic. “I don’t think I’ve seen this. So, if there needs to be an investigation, great. There should be. I don’t know. There should be. Until we figure something out.”

He then said he was “available to play.”

Rivers addressed Antetokounmpo’s comments after the team’s 133-101 loss.

“The tough part about all this is that I’m in the middle, and I have nothing to do with it,” Rivers said. “Coaches don’t decide any of this. The problem with our league is the coaches are the ones sitting out front. 

“And we have to sit here and answer this stuff. I think there are two sides to this — I will tell you that — but I don’t want to get too involved in it.”

Rivers added that he didn’t like that the feud had gone “public.”

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers directs traffic his team against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first half at Fiserv Forum on April 5, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Michael McLoone/Imagn Images)

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Antetokounmpo averaged 27.6 points and 9.8 rebounds this season. He was named NBA Finals MVP when he helped the Bucks secure the franchise’s first championship since 1971.

Rivers coached the Celtics to the NBA title in 2008. He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 1983. After retiring as a player, Rivers moved into broadcasting, calling NBA games. In 1999, he was named head coach of the Orlando Magic, a role he held until 2003.

Before returning to the coaching ranks, Rivers was part of ESPN’s lead NBA broadcasting team.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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Doc Rivers is departing as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, sources told ESPN on Sunday.

The Bucks will embark on their third head coaching search in three years. The Bucks will pay Rivers his eight-figure salary for the 2026-27 season. The franchise and Rivers are discussing whether he will move to an advisory role in the organization, sources said.

This starts a summer of change for the Bucks after Rivers went 97-103 across three seasons in Milwaukee, with two first-round playoff exits and missing the postseason and play-in tournament this season.

Team sources said there was a season-long disconnect between Rivers and the players, including instances that annoyed the locker room.

Rivers took over as coach for the Bucks in late January 2024, replacing Adrian Griffin, who had gone 30-13 in the role before being fired. Rivers guided the Bucks to a 17-19 mark to finish the 2023-24 campaign. Milwaukee went 48-34 in Rivers’ first full season in 2024-25. 

Rivers dealt with injuries to his top players in each season. Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo missed time in the 2024 and 2025 playoffs, and Antetokounmpo was healthy for just 36 games in 2025-26.

Rivers, who was named to the Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2026 and led the 2007-08 Boston Celtics to an NBA championship, ranks sixth all time among NBA coaches in regular-season wins and fourth all time in career playoff victories.

The Bucks snapped a streak of nine consecutive seasons in the playoffs this season. They have not won a playoff series since 2022. 

Milwaukee won the 2021 championship under Mike Budenholzer, who was let go in 2023.

ESPN’s Jamal Collier contributed to this report.