Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign advertisement featuring Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers has drawn widespread criticism and mockery from NBA fans. They point to Rivers’ history of losing crucial playoff games as an ironic choice for a presidential campaign’s final push.
The advertisement, which shows Rivers delivering a pep talk to Harris’ campaign team, has become the subject of ridicule among basketball enthusiasts familiar with the coach’s track record. “Known clutch head coach Doc Rivers,” wrote one fan sarcastically on social media, alongside statistics showing the large lead Rivers’ teams have blown in the past.
NBA followers quickly noted that Rivers, who appears alongside Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff in the ad, has squandered more fourth-quarter leads than any other NBA coach over his 24-season career. The timing of featuring Rivers in what the campaign calls the “final stretch” has been widely viewed as an unfortunate coincidence. One commenter, identifying as a Democrat, remarked that Rivers is not the ideal choice for crunch time.
The “Milwaukee vs. Trump” advertisement is part of a broader campaign strategy targeting sports fans in battleground states. The ad shows Rivers giving a talk to Harris supporters, urging them to make a voting plan at IWillVote.com. It criticizes Donald Trump’s unfulfilled promises, particularly about the Foxconn plant that failed to create the promised 13,000 jobs in Wisconsin, and his comments calling Milwaukee a “horrible city.”
It is scheduled to run on channels including Fox Sports, CBS Sports, and Sling during sporting events in Wisconsin. The campaign has also launched similar ads in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh markets.
Despite the backlash, Rivers maintains a prominent role in Harris’ campaign as co-chair of “Athletes for Harris,” alongside NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. The coach has been an outspoken supporter of Harris and former President Barack Obama. However, he emphasizes that he doesn’t tell his players who to vote for, instead encouraging them to use their voices regardless of political affiliation.