In an appearance on the ‘Dan Patrick Show,’ longtime American actor Laurence Fishburne got real on his experience playing Doc Rivers on the upcoming show, ‘Clipped.’ According to Laurence, he had no clue who Rivers even was before agreeing to accept the role.
“Who’s Doc Rivers? I had no idea who [he] was,” said Fishburne. “I’m not a sports fan. Luckily, he’s still alive with us. I had no preconceived notion of who the man was. I didn’t know his history. Luckily, he’s still alive and we have mutual friends so I was able to get his number and call him and talk to him briefly. I invited him to a Labor Day party at my house. He and my friend were there together and they immediately got into a debate about the late Bill Russell and through that experience, I was really able to observe Doc.”
Actor Laurence Fishburne had no idea who Doc Rivers even was before getting the offer to portray him in @FXNetworks new series 'Clipped'.
"Who's Doc Rivers?" pic.twitter.com/0kSln3mFMi
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) June 11, 2024
Laurence, 62, has played various roles in his acting career, with notable performances including the legendary Morpheus from ‘The Matrix’, The Bowery King from ‘John Wick’, and Jack Crawford from the movie ‘Hannibal.’
His latest performance involves the portrayal of former Clippers coach (current Bucks coach) Doc Rivers. Doc’s first head coaching gig was back in 1999 and he’s still going strong today, more than 20 years and a championship later. ‘Clipped’, which premiered on June 4th, doesn’t focus specifically on Rivers but he played a big role in how the series of events played out.
At the time, the franchise was still under the control of billionaire businessman Donald Sterling. He had been the owner/governor since 1981 until everything came crashing down as the result of a leaked video revealed by TMZ. The recording captured a conversation between Sterling and his mistress (V. Stiviano), where he warned her against bringing “black people” to Clippers games.
What followed was a brutal legal battle between Sterling, Stiviano, and the NBA itself. While Sterling did fight back for a while, there was nothing he could do to prevent him from being forced to sell. After public outcry and outrage from the players, he was permanently banned by Commissioner Adam Silver himself.
Doc Rivers didn’t play a direct role in the drama but he led the charge as the Clippers players made a statement. They turned their jerseys inside out for the game and many teams across the league made a similar gesture as a show of solidarity. While Doc is now on a different team, his impact on the Clippers will not be easily forgotten and his actions during the Sterling scandal earned him a lot of respect across the NBA.
The whole was only a decade ago and the Clippers have only just recovered from the damage that scandal did to their reputation. Even still, FX thinks the story is old enough to be re-told from the television screen and it will be interesting to see how it holds up in the eyes of the viewers both inside and outside the NBA.
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