Austin Rivers of the Denver Nuggets has carved out a solid 10-year career in the NBA. However, it's been difficult for him to shake off the fact that future Hall of Fame coach and former NBA All-Star Doc Rivers is his father.
In a recent interview with The Ringer's Ryen Russillo, Austin Rivers opened up about the personal “hell” he went through trying to escape his father's shadow. The Nuggets guard admitted that it wasn't all bad, with the partnership allowing him some peace of mind knowing his coach had his back. But other than that, it was mostly a burden rather than a boon.
“Everything else man, was hell,” admitted the Nuggets guard. “Imagine being in a locker room where like say guys were talking about the coach. This happens on every team. Not everybody's playing, not everybody's getting along with the coach. … but the coach is my dad. There's just a dynamic that's weird there.”
Austin Rivers played in parts of four seasons with the Clippers, joining the team after his relationship fizzled out with the team that drafted him in New Orleans – then still the Hornets. But since leaving the Clippers, the younger Rivers has been signed on by four different NBA teams, now carving out a solid role on a playoff-bound Nuggets side.
“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*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
Austin Rivers has played on six different playoff teams, likely seven this year with the Nuggets, and played a decent sized role in each one. He was the top-ranked player coming out of high school, parlaying that into being an NBA lottery pick. The man has earned his keep.
He makes a terrific point with regards to people claiming that his dad is the only reason why he has an NBA career. If such influence enables young players to not only make the league but stay in it, then why aren't there as many sons of team presidents, franchise GMs, or other head coaches in the league?
People forget that Doc Rivers' decision to sign on his own son to the Clippers opened himself up to scrutiny as well. If Austin Rivers wasn't good enough to play on that team that had title aspirations with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin but was still getting major minutes, that tarnishes Doc's reputation and would hurt his own teams chances in the playoffs.
While there's no denying that having a well-respected NBA head coach enabled him to success and gave him the tools to become the player he is today, it's hardly the only reason why Austin Rivers is still in the league.
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