Clippers’ Austin Rivers Addresses His Haters

Seems as if a lot of guys around the NBA – especially former teammates – have a theme song for LA Clippers guard Austin Rivers, Big Sean’s “I don’t F with you.” Austin is aware that people don’t like him and in a recent interview with ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne, he clapped back at the haters.

People are like, ‘Well, his dad gave him his chance.’ Is that true or not? I don’t know. It might be,” Rivers said. “[But] could it be that my pops knew how good I could be because he’s my pops?

“I know what the narrative is on me,” Rivers said. “It’s because I come from money and I have a swagger and confidence about me.

“[But] if I didn’t have this confidence or swagger in myself, I wouldn’t be built to handle the negativity that I’ve gotten. I would’ve already broken down years ago because I’ve gotten this since high school. I’ve turned it into a fuel and it’s helped me. I go into each away arena and it’s rough, because of the s— I hear. This chip on my shoulder, this swagger and confidence, it helps me. If I didn’t have it, I would not be in the NBA.”

Some people think I’m a great player, some people don’t. That’s fine. Numbers don’t ever lie. I know what I’m doing and I know what this team is doing.

“I was the No. 1 player in high school. I was a lottery player at Duke. I was player of the year in the ACC as a freshman. People just forget about these things, like I don’t deserve to be in the league.

If the dust up from the other day didn’t give you enough context on what guys around the league think of him, Matt Barnes had this to add in a recent interview.

 

 

“He’s just very arrogant,” Barnes told Mad Dog Sports Radio of Austin. “I know him personally, and at the beginning it took a little bit to get used to and as a teammate you kind of just accept him for who he is and have his back as a teammate, but hearing guys talk around the league and seeing guys that had a problem with him while I was playing with him, I could see why.

“He carries himself like he’s a 10-time All-Star, and he’s not that. That kind of arrogance rubs people the wrong way, and if you’re talking trash on top of that, there are some guys in the NBA who aren’t going to have that.

“Doc’s played a vital role in the demise of the Clippers. We had Vinny Del Negro the season before he was there and won 50-something games. We lost in the second round and should’ve won, and then Vinny was fired. Doc came in to save all, do all, and at the beginning he did well, but I think his players started seeing through him — say one thing, do another thing, do things like give his son a bunch of money. As players, that’s the kind of stuff you talk about.

“Then, like I said, from JJ [Redick] to Chris to myself and guys who are on the team still, Doc’s kind of been — you’ve seen the best of the Clippers with the way that they’re built as they stand now.”

In June 2017,  Glen “Big Baby” Davis made a video with some “advice” for Austin.

“Don’t say s*** to me. Your father gave you your money. You ain’t work for it, motherf***er. What type of s***? I was there. I seen you at practice. You didn’t give a f***, thinking you all that wearing them tight-ass pants. Your father gave you all that money, so you can go wear those tight-ass pants, but keep your f***ing mouth closed, man. Shut up, man. You’re a f***ing bum who’s been given the world. Shut up and just stay under your father.”

People pushed back last summer when ESPN anchor Michael Eaves – who used to be apart of the Clippers local broadcast team –  attributed some of the Clippers chemistry problems to Doc and Austin.

Several members of the team felt Austin acted entitled because his dad was both the coach and the President of Basketball Operations. In the view of the tenured players, Austin Rivers never tried to fit in, and when players tried to address the situation with him, he still did not respond the way the core of the team wanted him to. It led to resentment within the locker room, which often played out during games. One of Paul’s biggest contentions with Doc was that Paul, and other players, felt Doc treated Austin more favorably than other players. He would yell at guys for certain things during games and practices, but not get on Austin in the same manner for similar transgressions.

In the past, Austin mentioned that he and his father weren’t close growing up. Perhaps some of the treatment is Doc’s guilt and subconsciously giving Austin the attention he missed out on during his early NBA career.

Watch Jill discuss the Clippers and Rockets “drama”