Austin Rivers grew up in an NBA family and knows the good and bad that comes with it. Now, he is warning Bronny James of the pitfalls of having a famous father like LeBron James while trying to make a name for yourself.
Rivers, of course, was a five-star recruit out of Florida when his father, Doc Rivers, was coaching the Los Angeles Clippers. Austin was a lottery pick in the NBA Draft before ultimately becoming a role player for his father’s Los Angeles Clippers teams last decade.
As USC freshman Bronny James faces down the prospect of playing alongside his father next season in the NBA, Rivers hopes it doesn’t happen.
“What happens is a lot of people start to discredit all the things that you’ve done,” Rivers explained on NBA Today. “This kid has been in the limelight since he was born.”
Austin Rivers: “I don’t want to see Bronny play with [LeBron]. I went through something similar. What happens is that everyone starts to discredits everything you done. Him getting drafted & playing with his dad, I don’t want that negativity to come his way. He doesn’t deserve it.”
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Rivers had to deal not only with falling short of the projections he was saddled with in high school, but doing so in the shadow of his father. He doesn’t want that criticism and doubt from the media and fans to creep into Bronny’s early days in the NBA.
“Because Bronny’s success isn’t at a top-tier level, him getting drafted and playing with his dad, I don’t want that negativity to come his way,” Rivers said. “Because he doesn’t deserve it. He’s not a top-10 pick, he’s not a lottery pick, he’s none of those things. I was all of those things and then still, when I went to go play for the Clippers, people [criticized Rivers].”
Instead, Rivers hopes Bronny can have what he did not. A career separate from his father, where he can develop as a player and person in his own way.
“I hope for the kid that he’s able to not only play in the NBA, but play somewhere where he can branch out his own identity,” Rivers said.
Considering Rivers also wants to continue his NBA career and is not that far beyond his days playing under Doc, this is an impressive level of openness. Rivers has been appearing on NBA Today all season, but this is a clear highlight in his young media career.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.