Austin Rivers, drafted 10th overall by the New Orleans Hornets in 2012, didn’t start the way he had hoped. An outstanding high school graduate and duke, Rivers was heavily touted for the draft but never secured a foothold in New Orleans.
Rivers, who was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in January 2015, is finally getting a fresh start, but with one of his most unique caveats: he’s now the first player in NBA history to play under his father. Having joined the Clippers in 2013, Rivers was still at the helm when his son Austin arrived in Los Angeles. While the couple expected it to be a storyline, neither expected it to start overshadowing Austin’s career.
A solid backing for the Clippers as they finished the 2015 season, Rivers received a two-year, $6.4 million extension. Although the deal has received some criticism, the three-year, $35.4 million extension he signed in 2016 really ignited a story that has been going on for years.
While it was said in 2015 that Austin Rivers only got into the NBA because of his father, it’s now being talked about after his multi-year renewal in 2016. As seen in the modern age of sports, narratives are often impossible to reverse, even if based on lies. This is something that Austin Rivers experienced first hand as he was already an undeniably solid NBA player when his new expansion went into effect. However, a narrative surrounds him that his place in the league was saved by his father.
In an exclusive interview with AllClippers, Austin Rivers opened up about how he’s dealing with being in the league just because of his father’s claims.
“Yes, I played for him. So, naturally, guys who don’t know anything about basketball think that way, ”Rivers said. “Seriously. There has never been another player who played for his father in the NBA for so many years. I’m the only one who did it. My path has been harder than anyone else’s, if ever.”
Of this difference, Rivers said, “Everyone here has the same story, I’m the only one with a different background. I’m the only one who has to play with my father and still haunts them. NBA. No one should do this shit anymore. So, anyone who has ever tried to get hit for something as out of control as my father’s job is crazy. ”
Rivers was one of the most popular and hired players in high school basketball and a standout at Duke, and Rivers said it was around this time that his supporters began to slander him at the Clippers.
“When I was in Duke High, these guys kept cheering me on,” Rivers said. so much negativity when I went to play in Houston two years later, and”
An 11-year NBA veteran, Austin Rivers has been successful with his father and other players. He had a really good 2017-18 season with the Clippers, averaging 15.1 points on a career-best shooting rate of 37.8%. Playing 59 games for the Clippers that season, Rivers played a bigger role after the departure of Chris Paul and helped the team stay afloat during the transition.
Of the 60 players selected in the 2012 NBA draft, Rivers is one of 14 players left in the league. Only three of his 11 seasons were filmed under his father, and he knew the story was dead.
“I’ve been in the NBA for 11 years and I only played for my dad for three years,” Rivers said. “So I’m not worried, man. I proved long ago that [the narrative] is wrong. always skeptics. Okay, it’s good when there are people who doubt you, and you need it. To play at the highest level, you need someone to tell you something. Everyone has something to say. It’s my business”.
Post time: Oct-11-2022