Austin James Rivers (born August 1, 1992) is an American former professionalbasketball player who is currently asports analyst forESPN andNBC Sports. The son of basketball coach and former playerDoc Rivers, he played for 11 seasons in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). In the2012 NBA draft, Rivers was selected with the 10th overall pick by theNew Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans), playing three seasons there before being traded to theLos Angeles Clippers. After three years with the Clippers, he was traded to theWashington Wizards in June 2018. In December of the same year, he joined theHouston Rockets. He has also played for theNew York Knicks,Denver Nuggets, and theMinnesota Timberwolves.
Rivers ledWinter Park High School to back-to-back Florida 6A state championships in 2010 and 2011. He also played in the 2011Nike Hoop Summit for Team USA, and was aMcDonald's All-American. He was one of the top rated high school basketball players in the class of 2011, being rated as high as No. 1 by Rivals.com. In October 2010, Rivers committed toDuke University.[1]
On January 16, 2015, Rivers became the first player in NBA history to play for his father, coach Doc Rivers, then-head coach of the Clippers.
In 2010, Rivers ledWinter Park High School to the school's first state title in a 76–57 win againstDr. Phillips High School in the 6A state championship. Rivers scored 23 points in the game.[2] In June 2010, Rivers was a part of the gold medal-winning team at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship where he set a Team USA record for an U18 event with 35 points against Canada.[3] On August 5, 2010, Rivers was named to the fifth annualBoost Mobile Elite 24 game,[4] where he was named co-MVP after he had 25 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.[5]
On September 30, 2010, Rivers committed toDuke University. His commitment was widely covered by ESPN and various other sports networks given his status as the Class of 2011's top recruit.[6] He officially signed with the program on November 16, 2010.[7]
On March 5, 2011, Rivers led Winter Park to back to back Florida 6A state championships with a 52–44 victory overDr. Phillips High School, in which he had 25 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals.[8] Rivers was named the 2011Naismith Prep Player of the Year on March 10, 2011.[9] He was also an All-American and All-State honoree, and played in the 2011 Nike Hoop Summit for Team USA.
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Rivers SG[10] | Winter Park, Florida | Winter Park High | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Sep 30, 2010 | |
Recruit ratings:Scout:  Rivals: 247Sports: (98) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Scout: 1 (SG); 3 (national); 2 (school) Rivals: 1 (SG); 1 (national) ESPN: 3 (national) | ||||||
Sources:
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As a freshman, Rivers played in Duke's exhibition games in China and Dubai during an international tour in August 2011. In the first game against theChina men's national basketball team, Rivers scored 18 points on 8–19 shooting and led Duke to a 77–64 victory. In the second game (also against the Chinese national team), Rivers scored 12 points in a 78–66 victory, making several dunks during the first half. In the final game played in Beijing, Rivers chipped in 11 points as Duke topped the Chinese, 93–78.[11] In his team's 86–66 victory over the Dubai national team, he scored 16 points, including 10 in the second quarter, on an array of impressive drives.
On February 8, 2012, his three-point basket as time expired allowed Duke to overcome an 82–72 deficit with two minutes to play in an 85–84 victory over theUniversity of North Carolina.[12] The victory ended North Carolina's 31-game winning streak at theDean Smith Center.[13]
On March 16, 2012, Rivers' college career ended in the "Round of 64" of the NCAA tournament, when Duke lost toLehigh University. Rivers shot 5-of-14 from the field, while playing 34 minutes. Lehigh led for most of the game, earning their first NCAA Tournament victory.[14]
On March 26, 2012, Rivers declared for theNBA draft, foregoing his final three years of college eligibility.[15]
Rivers was selected by the New Orleans Hornets with the 10th overall pick the2012 NBA draft. Rivers chose to wear the #25 jersey, the same number his father wore when he was in the NBA. The night before the draft, Rivers said, "I want to be like my dad, only better." Joining him as a rookie on the Hornets wasAnthony Davis, the first overall pick of the draft. On July 24, 2012, Rivers signed his rookie scale contract with the Hornets.[16] Three days later, Rivers underwent successful surgery to clean up bone spurs in his right ankle.[17]
On October 31, 2012, Rivers made his NBA debut in the Hornets' season opener against theSan Antonio Spurs. In 24 minutes as a starter, he scored 7 points on 1-of-9 shooting in a 99–95 loss.[18] On December 14, he scored a then career-high 27 points in a 113–102 loss to theMinnesota Timberwolves.[19] On March 6, 2013, he broke his hand and subsequently required surgery that forced him to miss the remainder of the season.[20] For his rookie season, he averaged 6.2 points on 37% shooting from the field and 33% from three-point range. In April 2013, the Hornets changed their name to the Pelicans.
On October 16, 2013, the Pelicans exercised their third-year team option on Rivers' rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the2014–15 season.[21] On April 12, 2014, Rivers recorded season highs in points and rebounds with 20 and 10, respectively, in the Pelicans' 111–104 loss to theHouston Rockets.[22]
On October 24, 2014, the Pelicans declined to exercise their fourth-year team option on Rivers' rookie scale contract, thereby not extending the contract through the 2015–16 season.[23][24] On December 20, 2014, he scored a season-high 21 points in a 114–88 loss to thePortland Trail Blazers.[25]
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On January 12, 2015, Rivers was traded to theBoston Celtics in a three-team trade involving the Pelicans and theMemphis Grizzlies.[26] Three days later, he joinedhis father on theLos Angeles Clippers after he was traded in a three-team trade involving the Celtics and thePhoenix Suns.[27] On January 16, Rivers made his debut for the Clippers and became thefirst son to play for his father in an NBA game.[28] On February 21, Rivers scored a then-career-high 28 points in a 129–98 win over theSacramento Kings.[29] On May 8, he scored a playoff career-high 25 points in the Clippers' 124–99 victory that gave them a 2–1 lead in the Western Conference semi-finals against the Houston Rockets.[30]
On July 13, 2015, Rivers re-signed with the Clippers.[31] On February 6, 2016, he was ruled out for four to six weeks with a broken left hand.[32] On March 31, he scored a career-high 32 points in a 119–117 loss to theOklahoma City Thunder.[33] On April 29, Rivers recorded 21 points and eight assists against the Portland Trail Blazers in game 6 of their first-round playoff series. However, with a 106–103 loss, the Clippers were eliminated from the playoffs. In the game, Rivers required 11 stitches above his left eye from a collision in the first quarter.[34]
On July 8, 2016, Rivers again re-signed with the Clippers.[35] On December 14, 2016, he scored a season-high 25 points on 7-of-10 from three-point range and 9-of-12 from the field in a 113–108 win over theOrlando Magic.[36] On January 4, 2017, he set a new season high with 28 points in a 115–106 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.[37] He averaged career highs of 12.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists during the 2016–17 regular season, but due to a strained left hamstring, Rivers missed the last six games of the regular season and the first four games of the playoffs before returning in game 5 of the Clippers' first-round playoff series against theUtah Jazz.[38]
On December 3, 2017, Rivers scored a season-high 30 points in a 112–106 loss to theMinnesota Timberwolves.[39] On December 22, 2017, he scored 30 of his career-high 36 points in the second half of the Clippers' 128–118 win over theHouston Rockets.[40] The following night, he set a new career high with 38 points in a 115–112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.[41] Rivers missed 18 games between late December and early February with a heel bruise.[42][43]
On June 26, 2018, Rivers was traded to theWashington Wizards in exchange forMarcin Gortat.[44][45] On December 17, 2018, Rivers was traded withKelly Oubre Jr. to thePhoenix Suns forTrevor Ariza.[46] Rivers was waived by the Suns the following day.[47]
On December 24, 2018, Rivers signed with theHouston Rockets.[48] On January 5, 2019, he scored a season-high 21 points in a 110–101 loss to thePortland Trail Blazers.[49] On April 7, in a 149–113 blowout win against thePhoenix Suns, Rivers made the 27th three-pointer of the game with 1:09 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, beating the Rockets' own previous record of most made threes by one team in a game (26).[50][51] He appeared in 47 games while averaging 8.7 points, 2.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game. The Rockets won 72% of their games after signing Rivers. He started 13 straight games as a Rocket from December 31 through January 25, averaging 11.6 points, 3.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 38.1 minutes per game. Houston was 15–5 when Rivers scored in double figures and 9–1 when he recorded at least four assists. He also had nearly as many steals (29) as turnovers (32) with the Rockets.[52] On August 9, 2020, Rivers scored a career-high 41 points off the bench and the Rockets used a big third quarter to pull away and cruise to a 129–112 victory over theSacramento Kings in theOrlando bubble. Rivers made six 3-pointers as Houston improved to 4–1 at Disney on a night the Rockets played a second straight game withoutRussell Westbrook, who had a bruised rightquadriceps.[53]
On November 27, 2020, Rivers was acquired by theNew York Knicks via a sign-and-trade deal.[54] On March 25, 2021, Rivers was traded to theOklahoma City Thunder in a three team trade[55] and was waived three days later.[56]
On April 20, 2021, theDenver Nuggets signed Rivers to a 10-day contract[57] following a season ending injury sustained byJamal Murray.[58] Ten days later, he was signed for the rest of the season.[59]
On September 1, 2021, Rivers re-signed with the Nuggets.[60]
On July 14, 2022, Rivers signed a one-year contract with theMinnesota Timberwolves.[61] On February 4, 2023, Rivers was suspended by the NBA for three games without pay due to his role in an altercation during a game against theOrlando Magic the day before. During the altercation, Rivers threw punches at Magic centerMo Bamba.[62]
On October 23, 2023, it was announced that Rivers was hired byESPN as anNBA analyst.[63]
Rivers joinedNBC Sports for itscollege basketball andNBA coverage in 2025.[64][65]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | New Orleans | 61 | 26 | 23.2 | .372 | .326 | .546 | 1.8 | 2.1 | .4 | .1 | 6.2 |
| 2013–14 | New Orleans | 69 | 4 | 19.4 | .405 | .364 | .636 | 1.9 | 2.3 | .7 | .1 | 7.7 |
| 2014–15 | New Orleans | 35 | 3 | 22.1 | .387 | .280 | .746 | 1.9 | 2.5 | .5 | .2 | 6.8 |
| L.A. Clippers | 41 | 2 | 19.3 | .427 | .309 | .582 | 2.0 | 1.7 | .7 | .2 | 7.1 | |
| 2015–16 | L.A. Clippers | 67 | 7 | 21.9 | .438 | .335 | .681 | 1.9 | 1.5 | .7 | .1 | 8.9 |
| 2016–17 | L.A. Clippers | 74 | 29 | 27.8 | .442 | .371 | .691 | 2.2 | 2.8 | .7 | .1 | 12.0 |
| 2017–18 | L.A. Clippers | 61 | 59 | 33.7 | .424 | .378 | .642 | 2.4 | 4.0 | 1.2 | .3 | 15.1 |
| 2018–19 | Washington | 29 | 2 | 23.6 | .392 | .311 | .543 | 2.4 | 2.0 | .6 | .3 | 7.2 |
| Houston | 47 | 13 | 28.6 | .413 | .321 | .510 | 1.9 | 2.3 | .6 | .3 | 8.7 | |
| 2019–20 | Houston | 68 | 4 | 23.4 | .421 | .356 | .703 | 2.6 | 1.7 | .7 | .1 | 8.8 |
| 2020–21 | New York | 21 | 2 | 21.0 | .430 | .364 | .714 | 2.2 | 2.0 | .6 | .0 | 7.3 |
| Denver | 15 | 5 | 26.9 | .418 | .375 | .706 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 1.2 | .1 | 8.7 | |
| 2021–22 | Denver | 67 | 18 | 22.1 | .417 | .342 | .727 | 1.7 | 1.3 | .8 | .1 | 6.0 |
| 2022–23 | Minnesota | 52 | 10 | 19.5 | .435 | .350 | .769 | 1.6 | 1.4 | .5 | .1 | 4.9 |
| Career | 707 | 184 | 23.8 | .419 | .349 | .653 | 2.0 | 2.1 | .7 | .2 | 8.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | L.A. Clippers | 14 | 2 | 17.9 | .438 | .371 | .632 | 1.7 | 1.1 | .7 | .3 | 8.4 |
| 2016 | L.A. Clippers | 6 | 2 | 24.0 | .426 | .235 | .667 | 2.7 | 2.7 | .5 | .0 | 10.3 |
| 2017 | L.A. Clippers | 3 | 2 | 30.1 | .346 | .308 | 1.000 | 2.7 | .7 | .3 | .3 | 8.0 |
| 2019 | Houston | 10 | 0 | 21.5 | .435 | .457 | .667 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .5 | .1 | 7.4 |
| 2020 | Houston | 12 | 0 | 17.6 | .311 | .257 | .769 | 2.5 | 1.3 | .6 | .1 | 4.8 |
| 2021 | Denver | 10 | 9 | 30.5 | .435 | .413 | .813 | 1.7 | 2.1 | .2 | .3 | 9.2 |
| 2022 | Denver | 5 | 0 | 21.6 | .444 | .333 | 1.000 | .6 | 1.2 | 1.4 | .2 | 4.2 |
| 2023 | Minnesota | 4 | 0 | 11.6 | .500 | .333 | – | 1.3 | .3 | .3 | .0 | 2.5 |
| Career | 64 | 15 | 21.4 | .412 | .357 | .727 | 1.9 | 1.4 | .6 | .2 | 7.1 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Duke | 34 | 33 | 33.2 | .433 | .365 | .658 | 3.4 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .0 | 15.5 |
Rivers was born in Santa Monica, California, the son ofMilwaukee Bucks head coach and former playerDoc Rivers and Kristen Rivers (née Campion).[66][67] Doc Rivers was a former player who had joined theLos Angeles Clippers the summer of his son's birth. His older brother,Jeremiah, played basketball forGeorgetown andIndiana and later joined theMaine Red Claws, while his older sister Callie playedvolleyball for theUniversity of Florida and is married to his former Duke teammate and currentCharlotte Hornets playerSeth Curry.[68] His younger brother, Spencer, was a guard who played forUC Irvine from 2014 to 2019.[citation needed]
He was named Austin after formerCleveland Cavaliers guardAustin Carr, while his middle name, James, is in honor of his great-uncleJim Brewer.[69]
His first child, a son with Brittany Hotard, was born in 2018. Rivers' two children with Audreyana Michelle, a son and a daughter, were born in March 2021 and June 2024.[70][71]
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