Former ESPN Host Sage Steele Says Doc Rivers Sent Her Harsh Private Messages Over Donald Trump
Sage Steele claims Doc Rivers slid into her DMs.
Sage Steele hasn’t been shy about her frustrations with the sports media world since leaving ESPN.
Her latest comments suggest one old friendship didn’t survive the exit.
The former ‘NBA Countdown’ host appeared recently on Dave Rubin’s ‘The Rubin Report’ podcast, where she opened up about her declining interest in the NBA.
Steele said she didn’t watch a single game last season until the playoffs began, crediting her years covering the league up close for souring her on it.
That disinterest, she says, traces back partly to a strained relationship with former NBA head coach Doc Rivers.
Steele Says Rivers Sent Critical Messages Over Her Politics
Stage Steele (Photo via Instagram)
Steele claims Rivers began messaging her privately after she voiced support for Donald Trump, ending what she once described as a genuine friendship.
“Just knowing that so many of them are full of sh*t with what they say versus what they do,” Steele said, referring broadly to coaches in the league.
“And seeing the passive aggressiveness from some of these head coaches, whether it’s Steve Kerr or Doc Rivers — these people that I used to call a friend, especially Doc.”
According to Steele, the messages arrived unprompted and grew lengthy.
“I’m going to show you later, the DMs from this man,” she said.
“Pages and pages of why I’m such an idiot to be a Republican or conservative and support Donald Trump. Out of the blue, he would send me clips, and I’m like, ‘I just want to talk basketball with you’ or ‘How are your kids…?’”
Steele said the tone of the messages left her frustrated.
“Instead, it’s, ‘I’m so disappointed’ and the sellout thing with a coach,” she said. “That’s what turns people off with sports. It doesn’t mean you can’t have that opinion. I did too. I just happened to not do it when I was working in sports.”
Steele added that Rivers has since blocked her on social media, and she also raised concerns that NBA players with conservative views might hesitate to voice them publicly for similar reasons.
Rivers Has Not Publicly Addressed Steele’s Claims
Doc Rivers (Image Credits: Imagn)
Rivers has not responded publicly to Steele’s account. He stepped down as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks after a 32-50 season this year that snapped the franchise’s nine-year playoff streak, a stretch that reportedly included tension inside the locker room over his approach with players.
The 64-year-old was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the 2026 class, a recognition of a coaching career that includes a 2008 NBA championship with the Celtics and the sixth-most regular-season wins in league history.
Steele, meanwhile, has continued building her post-ESPN career around conservative commentary. She has previously discussed the personal toll of her legal battle with ESPN, a dispute that culminated in her departure from the network in 2023 after more than a decade there.
Neither Steele nor Rivers has indicated whether any reconciliation is possible. For now, their falling out stands as another example of how political divisions have followed public figures well beyond the arenas where they built their reputations.
