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Rivers OK with dropping nickname: 'There's only one Doc' in Philly

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For as long as he's been a public figure, longtime NBA head coach and former All-Star Glenn Rivers has gone by "Doc."

However, now that he's officially been introduced as the Philadelphia 76ers head coach, Rivers says he's alright with being called Glenn out of respect to franchise icon Julius Erving - "Dr. J."

“I’m Glenn with you and I’m fine with that, because I actually agree with that,” Rivers told broadcaster Marc Zumoff on Monday. “There’s only one Doc in town.”

It remains to be seen whether he plans to embrace "Glenn" on a full-time basis or if the exception extends only to NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcasts, where Zumoff has long referred to Rivers by his birth name.

Rivers explained he first became known as "Doc" in high school after he caught the eye of former Marquette coach Al McGuire while wearing a Dr. J T-shirt at a basketball camp.

"At the end of the week, the Milwaukee Bucks came in to play a basketball game in front of the campers, and they only had nine players and they needed a 10th," Rivers recalled. "And Al McGuire walks up to the stands ... and he starts yelling for 'Doc.' He's pointing at me, but my name's Glenn. And he keeps saying, 'Doc, come down.' Finally, I realize 'Doc' was me.

"I walk down, I got the great opportunity to play with the Milwaukee Bucks. I actually got a steal and a dunk. And all the kids start yelling, ‘Doc, Doc.’ From that day on, that’s been my name.”

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