Austin Rivers on the Scrutiny he Received while Playing for his Father: "It just took joy away from the Game"

Farbod Esnaashari

Austin Rivers went on Instagram Live this week, and divulged some details about his tenure with the LA Clippers. 

More so than any other player, Rivers' time with the Clippers was an absolute roller-coaster. He was the only player in NBA history to be coached by his own father, Doc Rivers. The end result was a level of trash talk, and scrutiny that no other player has ever received. It was something fans could see from the outside, but Rivers confirmed it himself on Instagram.

"That shit was so hard,” Rivers said. “At that level, the scrutiny that I had to go through playing for this man, and the magnifying glass I was under. It just took joy away from the game bro. And I love my pops, but that shit was crazy.”

On top of the magnifying glass Rivers played under, he also mentioned that he was incessantly teased about playing for his father. Despite that, Austin has no ill-will towards his time on the Clippers, nor does he have any hard feelings about being traded.

"That situation was amazing," Rivers said. "But it reached its ceiling, and you just move on bro."

To this day, Austin Rivers' time with the Clippers was undervalued. He consistently progressed as a player, and came up in big moments during the playoffs. It seemed like no matter what he did, critics were going to knock him down because he played for his father. 

It may have been tough for the guard, but ultimately Rivers put himself in the best position to succeed as a player.