It takes a lot of talent to play in the NBA, but some are simply more talented than others. Due to that, we have seen many players from the same family play in the NBA. While it is not that uncommon, seeing both the father and son share the same court is truly amazing.
Austin Rivers is someone who has taken it an even further step. While his father Doc Rivers started playing in the league back in the 80s, he returned to the league in the 1999-00 season as a coach.
Since then, Rivers has built a good resume and is considered one of the best coaches in the modern-day NBA. Speaking of his son, Austin Rivers, he made his debut back in the 2012-13 NBA season and has been a solid role player throughout his career.
Moreover, he got a chance to play under his dad during his stint with the Los Angeles Clippers. He spent four seasons with the team and one might think that it must have been pretty easy for him since his father was the head coach. Well, the reality is something else.
The Denver Nuggets guard revealed the pros and cons he faced due to Doc Rivers being his father and handling the responsibilities of the head coach of his team in a recent interview. Rivers said:
“It’s kind of like one of those bittersweet things. I had a great time playing for him, because at least as a player, knowing the coach has your back. Like at the end of the day, whether he’s arguing with me, yelling at me as a coach, you know, telling me to do something. I know at the end of the day that this guy has my back. This is my dad.”
Rivers continued, “But then everything else, man, was hell. Imagine being in a locker room where like say guys were talking about the coach. This happens on every team. Not everybody’s playing, or not everybody’s getting along with the coach. … But the coach is my dad. There’s just a dynamic that’s weird there. It’s just a weird dynamic.
“… Everywhere I played, I got a lot of heat for it. Everybody was like, ‘You’re only in the league because of your dad.’ That comment I’ve heard too many times. … I played for my dad for two and a half years. I’ve been in the league for 10. There’s a reason why and that’s because I’m one of the best basketball players in the world. But when you play for your dad, that s**t just gets discredited. It’s as if they forgot I was the top player in high school, that I was a lottery pick, that I went to Duke. That all went under the rug when I played for my dad. Nobody gave a f**k.”
“It’s as if they forgot I was the top player in high school, that I was a lottery pick, that I went to Duke. That all went under the rug when I played for my dad. Nobody gave a f*ck.”@AustinRivers25 spoke about the challenges of playing for his dad early in his NBA career. pic.twitter.com/9SnuVuvmWD
— The Ringer (@ringer) February 4, 2022
Rivers unveiled some pretty great points about playing under his dad. It must have been tough for him. However, if he wasn’t a talented player, he wouldn’t have stayed in the league for 10 years. It means he is a great talent and is a solid rotation player for the team.
Adding to the topic of father-son duos, the next most anticipated one is of LeBron James and Bronny James. Moreover, it was recently reported that James is even ready to leave the Lakers in order to share the same court with his son.
Well, there is still some time in that, but it will be great to see one of the best NBA players of all time play on the same team as his son.
