Austin Rivers has come to the defence of his dad after JJ Redick directed some heated criticism at Doc Rivers on Tuesday’s episode of First Take.
Here’s what JJ had to say about Doc:
“I’ve seen the trend now, I’ve seen the trend for years,” Redick said. “The trend is always making excuses. Doc, we get it. Taking over a team in the middle of the season is hard, just like getting traded in the middle of the season is hard for a player, we get it. But it’s always an excuse, it always throwing your team under the bus … there’s never accountability with that guy.”
.@jj_redick on Doc Rivers 😳 pic.twitter.com/JRgLD1rx74
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 20, 2024
It wasn’t long before Austin Rivers had something to say.
“For someone who is not accountable, he seems to always be held responsible. Considering he’s the guy who is always fired whenever things don’t go right,” Rivers said. “He got fired in the bubble for a 3-1 lead vs. the Denver Nuggets when half his team didn’t want to be there… Then he gets fired for losing to a team that was favored over him, which was the Celtics last year.”
The younger Rivers then took some shots at Redick.
“It’s strange coming from JJ, and I have love for JJ… You’re my bro, I love you, it’s just your best years were with the Clippers… In terms of accountability, what are we doing here? Your best years in the NBA were when you played for him and the Clippers…
Austin rivers respectfully fried JJ redick lmao
pic.twitter.com/C0Rgfws7Rg— ³⁴ (@GiannisWorld) February 20, 2024
“I don’t know if there’s frustration there or if there’s tension there between you, I know a lot of times we had to sit you towards the end of the game due to defensive reasons… Our whole system was drafted around you because you’re a shooter, you’re not a guy that can put the ball on the floor… It’s just very ironic and kinda weird that you have this energy towards him.”
Yikes. And making this whole thing even spicier is the fact that Rivers and Redick are colleagues at ESPN.
Stay tuned for more beef.