Austin Rivers, 27, is eight years into his NBA career, but the Houston Rockets guard is already making plans for life after professional basketball. Perhaps not surprisingly, he's considering following in his father's footsteps.
Of course, Austin's father, Doc, was a one-time All-Star guard before becoming a championship-winning head coach. Now, his son seems to be eyeing a similar path.
Asked by Rockets announcer Craig Ackerman in a Facebook Watch Q&A if he's thinking about exploring the coaching route, Austin responded:
“Yeah I have. Coaching is something that…prior to the past couple years, it never interested me. I never thought I had that in me.”
Rivers said he also envisioned working on the business side of the NBA. But the Rockets veteran's itch to coach has “continued to grow” in recent years.
“I’ve always wanted to be in the front office. I love the business side of basketball, and I know it well…I just think it’s something I could really do well.”
“I’m starting to get to where I feel like 10 years down the road, or however many years I have left, that is something I would like to get into.”
Rivers has plenty of mileage left in his playing career, though he's clearly putting more thought into his transition into retirement.
“When I retire, I want it to be seamless. I want to go right into something that I already had working, so there’s no [big] adjustment. So that my mind is still busy and running. I’m not going to be one of those guys that retires and you’re like, ‘What now?’ That just won’t happen. I won’t let it happen.”
The Rockets guard is showing a level of maturity that should set him up for success after his playing days.
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