Austin Rivers shared a controversial take on NBA players in the NFL and it didn’t go down well with the football community.
“I could take 30 players right now in the NBA and throw them in the NFL,” Rivers said The Pat McAfee Show. “You can’t take 30 NFL players and put them in the NBA.”
Former NFL players and current analysts disagreed entirely with Rivers’ take, and grilled him at the time.
Former Super Bowl champion James Jones called out Rivers and called NBA players ‘soft’.
“Austin Rivers, if you could walk on a football field, you wouldn’t make it,” Jones said. Talk to Fs1“We know that right now, because you haven’t made it to the NBA yet.”
Future Pro Football Hall of Famer, JJ Watt, responded to Rivers’ claims.
“You don’t have a job right now, go try them out…” Watt wrote on X.
He then admitted that he could not play in the NBA.
“For the record, I couldn’t play in the NBA at all. 6 hard fouls is about all I could give you and call it a day. “
Two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long also joined in the shower after announcing that he was making the ‘Emergency Austin Rivers’ sound.
NBA players are far from corrupt and it will be difficult to make a change.
“We had three pitchers for the 53 team,” Long said, recalling his 11 tough seasons in the league. “You’re going to lose your mind, brother.”
He previously explained that the practice conditions, coaching relationships and lack of load management are major differences that NBA players may struggle to adjust to.
NBA legend Charles Barkley also entered the discussion and said that NBA players are too soft to play football.
Chuck calls Austin Rivers 😅 pic.twitter.com/uYF7HEJEBg
– NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 9, 2024
Other former NFL players were quick to shut down Rivers’ claims.
NBA players wouldn’t sit through training camp in the NFL
– Will Compton (@_willcompton) May 7, 2024
Someone told Austin Rivers: Football practice makes basketball players, not the other way around. pic.twitter.com/8fLIaomWkR
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) May 8, 2024
Looks like the River is losing this one.
