As far as comebacks go, this should be a case study. Austin Rivers recently raised eyebrows when he suggested dozens of NBA players could slide right into the NFL seamlessly, while football players wouldn’t be able to do the reverse.
Rivers made the comments during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show Tuesday morning.
“Where the best athletes in the world are?” he said. “That’s us.”
“I can take 30 players right now in the NBA and throw them in the NFL,” adds Rivers. “You cannot take 30 NFL players and put them in the NBA.”
Let's RELAX @AustinRivers25 😂😂#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/HHghiMlr3R
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 7, 2024
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Austin Rivers – NBA Players Better Than NFL
Honestly, there probably are several NBA players that could play in the NFL. Zion Williamson could probably be a fullback somewhere. Some speedy guards or forwards could likely be serviceable wideouts or cornerbacks. Some bigger forwards at safety or tight end.
Why Rivers would choose to make that argument, however, when the NBA has been the softest it has ever been, is beyond me. There is very little in the way of defense and the self-proclaimed GOAT in that sport has turned flopping into an art form.
Still, some NBA players could make the transition.
Where Austin Rivers loses it is when he suggests NFL players couldn’t hack it in the NBA. It’s hard to imagine some of the taller wide receivers wouldn’t be able to hoop. Some tight ends as well. Jimmy Graham and Antonio Gates were both very good basketball players in college.
Gates, as a senior at Kent State, received honorable mention All-American honors from the Associated Press.
Julius Peppers, a perennial Pro-Bowler in the NFL as a defensive end, played college basketball with the North Carolina Tarheels.
So to say one group of athletes wouldn’t be able to make the move while another could seems absurd. This isn’t like saying a PBA bowler couldn’t hack it in the NHL. It seems reasonable that some players from the NHL and NFL could theoretically switch out.
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J.J. Watt Torches Rivers
Do you know who really didn’t care for Austin Rivers’ take on NFL players? Former Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt.
Watt delivered a response that physically gives you sympathy pains for Rivers when reading it.
“You don’t have a job in either right now, go ahead and try it,” Watt wrote on X.
Oof.
It’s true. Rivers’ minutes and production on the court have steadily diminished in the past three seasons with both the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
He last played with the Wolves during the 2022-2023 season.
It remains to be seen if he will be picked up by any other NBA teams next season.
It’s All Love Now
Following Watt’s comments, Austin Rivers reached out on social media and insisted he meant to disrespect with his comparison of NBA and NFL players.
“Respect (you’re) a football legend holding it down for the bros. My comments weren’t meant to be disrespectful,” Rivers told Watt. “Only a point to how athletically gifted SOME NBA players are…”
To his credit, Watt replied and admitted he may have jumped the gun a bit with his putdown.
While he’s not looking to make a move to the NBA, Watt recently suggested he could make a comeback to the NFL.
The three-time league Defensive Player of the Year who retired in 2022 indicates he’s been training hard and could fill in for an emergency situation with the Texans.
Maybe Houston will call Rivers instead.
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