Doc Rivers Recalls Burning Timeout Because Of National History Happening Mid-Game

Doc Rivers has been in professional basketball in some capacity since 1983 and has seen it from all sorts of perspectives: As a player, as a coach, as a president of basketball operations and as a media member. But one thing that sticks in his mind from that dense history is an early-season game from November in 2008.

That night, against the Houston Rockets, Barack Obama would win the Presidential Election, becoming the first Black president-elect in American history.

Rivers and the Celtics were emotional over the history, but how he learned about it in-game is really interesting.

"I was emotional. For the first time," Rivers told Nicolle Wallace on an episode of her podcast,The Best People. "I'll never forget: There was a black couple in the front row. ... That was the night of the [2008] election, we were playing. And the black lady was crying. The game is going on! I see the husband hugging [her], I don't know what's happening. So there's a timeout, and I stopped, they were right by our bench--they were in our front row. And I say, 'Sir do you need some help? Are you OK?' ... He looks up and says, 'No. Obama just won.'"

Rivers was so overcome with emotion that he recalls having to burn a timeout he hadn't planned on using just to collect himself and his team and touch base with their off-court emotions.

"The game! Now we're about to go out! And I'm choked up. I needed to take—I called a timeout. I called another timeout! And I told our guys, 'Hey guys, Obama just won.' And I know there's video of us jumping up and down," Rivers said.

Walker's episode of The Best People with Doc Rivers comes out Monday June 16.

“The guys are celebrating back there in the locker room, and I told them that this is not a black-white thing. But in my lifetime I didn’t know this day would come," Rivers said after the game in 2008. Boston would win, 103-99.

These days, the NBA doesn't schedule games on election night to give space to the importance of civic engagement. But back then, history unfolded in real-time while the action was going on.

The next episode of MSNBC’s The Best People with Nicolle Wallace is available across podcast platforms and on YouTube on June 16, with new episodes dropping weekly on Mondays.