“When you hear, ‘America first,’ that scares me, because I’m a Black man and that’s not including me.” It was only two years ago Doc Rivers voiced his concern about Donald Trump’s policy. Well, this is nothing new for the veteran head coach as he frequently steps into political waters to fight against racial injustice and other social issues. And most of it has to do with his childhood experiences and the way he was raised.

Doc was born in Chicago, Illinois to parents Grady and Bettye Rivers in 1961. Yes, his entire life was spent in the USA, and is an American national. However, his life experiences stem from him being of African-American descent. Well, his father was a respected police officer, coached multiple youth teams, and taught Doc how to hoop. Moreover, Grady was a man of the community as Doc revealed in an interview, “If we’re walking down the street, it was, ‘Hey Sergeant Rivers, hey Mr. Rivers.’ Everywhere. My dad coached the football team, basketball team and Little League baseball team. My house was full of people everyday. He was more than a cop. He was a community leader.”

But during the quality time he spent with his mother, the Bucks head coach fell in love with the game, “She loved basketball. I went to every single Proviso East game from the time I was in the first grade until I played. I missed one game maybe. She was the one who took me. That’s when I learned to love basketball.”

Growing up in an athletic community-driven household truly molded Doc into the man he is today. Moreover, even though his father was a cop, Doc has never shied away from standing up against police brutality. Unfortunately, Doc’s father passed away in 2007, but the head coach talked about how he would have reacted to the police brutality protests, “My dad knew the difference between right and wrong… My dad would’ve been out there marching.”

And these are the principles that Doc also passed on to his kids.

Doc Rivers’ athletic lineage is carried on by his children

Doc spent thirteen years in the league as a player. And he has been a coach for over two decades. But he is not the only person in his family carrying on their athletic legacy. Well, he has four children from his ex-wife Kristen. Sure enough, they are all elite athletes just like their dad. His oldest and youngest sons, Jeremiah and Spencer, played college ball, and Jeremiah, even made it to the G League. Their sister, Callie, played volleyball at the University of Florida and is married to NBA star Seth Curry.

But the most successful athlete of the pack was Austin Rivers, who, like his father, had a solid career in the NBA which lasted eleven years.

Surprisingly, Doc coached Austin for a few years while they were part of the Clippers organization. As expected, Doc did not let their relationship come in the way of his principles as Austin detailed his experience of playing for his dad, “He doesn’t care if I’m his son. If I do bad stuff: ‘Get on the bench.’ He says s— to me that he says to other players. I think that surprised other players.”

Sure enough, Doc continues to be an elite coach in the league while staying true to the values passed on to him by his parents. Kudos to him!