# Austin Rivers
**Austin Rivers** (Austin James Rivers; born 1992) is an American former professional basketball player who spent more than a decade as a guard in the NBA after being selected 10th overall in the 2012 draft by the New Orleans Hornets[1](https://www.nbcsports.com/pressbox/bios/austin-rivers/) • [2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/riverau01.html). He is the son of longtime NBA head coach Glenn "Doc" Rivers, and in January 2015 he became the first player in NBA history to appear in a game for a team coached by his father[3](https://time.com/3670923/austin-rivers-clippers-trade/) • [4](https://cdn-uat.nba.com/news/doc-rivers-joins-nbc-sports-nba-coverage-as-game-analyst). Since 2025 he has worked as a college basketball analyst and a game and studio analyst for NBA coverage at [NBC Sports](https://www.edgepedia.org/nbc-sports)[1](https://www.nbcsports.com/pressbox/bios/austin-rivers/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born; size | 1992; 6'4" (1.93 m), 200 lb (91 kg)[5](https://www.nba.com/player/203085/austin_rivers) |
| Draft | 2012 first round, 10th overall, by the New Orleans Hornets[2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/riverau01.html) |
| College | One season at Duke: 15.5 points, 2.1 assists, 3.4 rebounds per game over 34 games; ACC Rookie of the Year; NABC third-team All-American[6](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/austin-rivers-impressive-journey-to-the-nba-and-la-clippers) • [7](https://goduke.com/news/2012/6/29/205499645) |
| Teams | Pelicans, Clippers, Wizards, Rockets, Knicks, Nuggets, Timberwolves, 2012-13 through 2022-23[8](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/how-many-teams-has-austin-rivers-played-for) |
| Father-son first | Traded to the Clippers in January 2015, becoming the first NBA player to play for a team coached by his father[3](https://time.com/3670923/austin-rivers-clippers-trade/) |
| Career earnings | At least $56,309,202 in professional basketball[2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/riverau01.html) |
| Post-retirement | Retired in 2023; ESPN studio analyst, then NBC Sports from 2025[1](https://www.nbcsports.com/pressbox/bios/austin-rivers/) |
## High school and Duke
Rivers played four years at Winter Park High School in [Winter Park, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/winter-park-florida) under coach [David Bailey](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-bailey), leading the team to a 109-18 record during his career and finishing second in [Central Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-florida) high school history with 2,957 points[9](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/goduke.com/documents/2022/8/15/2011-12_Duke-MBB_Full-Media-Guide.pdf?timestamp=20241012011737). He won Class-6A Florida state championships in 2010 and 2011 and finished his high school career as the nation's top recruit[10](https://grantland.com/features/ball-in-the-family-austin-rivers-nba-doc-rivers-los-angeles-clippers/).
He spent one season, 2011-12, at Duke under [Mike Krzyzewski](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-krzyzewski), a "one-and-done" year before the [NBA draft](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-draft)[6](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/austin-rivers-impressive-journey-to-the-nba-and-la-clippers) • [11](https://time.com/33827/duke-mercer-ncaa-tournament-2014-march-madness-bracket/). The season turned on a game-winning three-pointer at North Carolina that gave Duke an 85-84 victory[10](https://grantland.com/features/ball-in-the-family-austin-rivers-nba-doc-rivers-los-angeles-clippers/). He led Duke in scoring at 15.5 points per game while averaging only 2.1 assists, and skeptics questioned his playmaking[10](https://grantland.com/features/ball-in-the-family-austin-rivers-nba-doc-rivers-los-angeles-clippers/). He was named the 2012 ACC Rookie of the Year and became the first freshman in Duke history to earn [All-America](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-america) recognition, an NABC third-team selection[7](https://goduke.com/news/2012/6/29/205499645). Duke finished 27-6 and reached the NCAA tournament as a 2-seed but lost in the first round to Lehigh[10](https://grantland.com/features/ball-in-the-family-austin-rivers-nba-doc-rivers-los-angeles-clippers/).
## New Orleans years
New Orleans selected Rivers with the 10th pick, its 13th lottery pick in franchise history and first selection from Duke[12](https://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/hornets_select_austin_rivers_w_2012_06_28.html). His rookie season went poorly. He started the opener in place of the injured [Eric Gordon](https://www.edgepedia.org/eric-gordon), lost the starting job after nine games, and appeared uncomfortable in the point guard role New Orleans asked him to play; his 5.9 player efficiency rating ranked among the worst in the league[10](https://grantland.com/features/ball-in-the-family-austin-rivers-nba-doc-rivers-los-angeles-clippers/). A season review found him below the 2012-13 NBA average for guards in every category measured, with Synergy Sports ranking him 308th in the league as a defender[13](https://www.bourbonstreetshots.com/2013/04/24/season-in-review-austin-rivers/). He started four games in his second season and played fewer minutes than as a rookie, and began remaking himself as a defender to earn playing time[10](https://grantland.com/features/ball-in-the-family-austin-rivers-nba-doc-rivers-los-angeles-clippers/). In 35 games of his third season, 2014-15, he averaged 6.8 points on 38.7 percent shooting and 2.5 assists[3](https://time.com/3670923/austin-rivers-clippers-trade/).
## The Clippers and playing for his father
In January 2015 the Pelicans traded Rivers to the [Boston Celtics](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-celtics) in a three-team deal that sent him on to the Clippers, where his father was coach and held final say on basketball decisions[3](https://time.com/3670923/austin-rivers-clippers-trade/) • [10](https://grantland.com/features/ball-in-the-family-austin-rivers-nba-doc-rivers-los-angeles-clippers/). The trade was widely criticized as nepotism at the time[10](https://grantland.com/features/ball-in-the-family-austin-rivers-nba-doc-rivers-los-angeles-clippers/). The move revived his career. Re-signing that summer on a two-year deal, he developed into a rotation guard, worked with assistant coach [Sam Cassell](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-cassell) on his midrange game, and cited a stretch in November 2015 of five straight games in double figures, shooting 48 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from long range[10](https://grantland.com/features/ball-in-the-family-austin-rivers-nba-doc-rivers-los-angeles-clippers/) • [14](https://www.nba.com/clippers/news/austins-hot-shooting).
The 2015 playoffs were his coming-out stretch. He converted seven of eight shots in a Game 4 win over [San Antonio](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-antonio), and with [Chris Paul](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-paul) out by a strained hamstring he scored 17 points, including four of six three-pointers, in a Game 1 win over Houston and 25 points in a Game 3 blowout[10](https://grantland.com/features/ball-in-the-family-austin-rivers-nba-doc-rivers-los-angeles-clippers/). [Doc Rivers](https://www.edgepedia.org/doc-rivers) later became the first father to coach his son in NBA history, a fact the league itself acknowledges[4](https://cdn-uat.nba.com/news/doc-rivers-joins-nbc-sports-nba-coverage-as-game-analyst).
## Later career
Rivers spent the rest of his career as a journeyman role player. After the Clippers, he played for the [Washington Wizards](https://www.edgepedia.org/washington-wizards) in 2018-19, the [Houston Rockets](https://www.edgepedia.org/houston-rockets) from 2018-19 to 2019-20, the New York Knicks in 2020-21, the Denver Nuggets from 2020-21 to 2021-22, and the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2022-23[8](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/how-many-teams-has-austin-rivers-played-for). In Denver he arrived mid-season in 2020-21 as a shooter and driver, having made over 35 percent of his three-point attempts in three of the previous four seasons, including 36.4 percent on 3.7 attempts per game that season, and graded at +0.75 in ESPN's Defensive Real Plus-Minus[15](https://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/what-rivers-brings-to-nuggets-042021). Denver's own season review credited him with taking his defensive role seriously even though he had not been known as a defensive guard[16](https://www.denverstiffs.com/denver-nuggets-season-in-review-austin-rivers/).
The league's career tallies differ on his length of service: Basketball-Reference counts 11 years[2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/riverau01.html), while his NBA.com player page lists 12 years of experience[5](https://www.nba.com/player/203085/austin_rivers). Over his career he made the playoffs eight times[1](https://www.nbcsports.com/pressbox/bios/austin-rivers/). After retiring in 2023, he began broadcasting as an ESPN studio analyst and joined NBC Sports in 2025; his father Doc later joined NBC's NBA game coverage, with the two set to work at the same network for the 2026-27 season[1](https://www.nbcsports.com/pressbox/bios/austin-rivers/) • [4](https://cdn-uat.nba.com/news/doc-rivers-joins-nbc-sports-nba-coverage-as-game-analyst).
## References
1. [Austin Rivers bio, NBC Sports Pressbox](https://www.nbcsports.com/pressbox/bios/austin-rivers/)
2. [Austin Rivers career stats and draft status, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/riverau01.html)
3. [Austin Rivers Reportedly Being Sent to Clippers in 3-Team Trade, Time/SI](https://time.com/3670923/austin-rivers-clippers-trade/)
4. [Doc Rivers joins NBC Sports' NBA coverage as game analyst, NBA.com](https://cdn-uat.nba.com/news/doc-rivers-joins-nbc-sports-nba-coverage-as-game-analyst)
5. [Austin Rivers player page, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/player/203085/austin_rivers)
6. [Austin Rivers' impressive journey to the NBA and LA Clippers, FOX Sports](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/austin-rivers-impressive-journey-to-the-nba-and-la-clippers)
7. [Rivers & Plumlee Taken in First Round of NBA Draft, Duke University Athletics](https://goduke.com/news/2012/6/29/205499645)
8. [How many teams has Austin Rivers played for, StatMuse](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/how-many-teams-has-austin-rivers-played-for)
9. [2011-12 Duke Men's Basketball Media Guide](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/goduke.com/documents/2022/8/15/2011-12_Duke-MBB_Full-Media-Guide.pdf?timestamp=20241012011737)
10. [Ball in the Family, Grantland (Jonathan Abrams, October 14, 2015)](https://grantland.com/features/ball-in-the-family-austin-rivers-nba-doc-rivers-los-angeles-clippers/)
11. [What Mercer Beating Duke Says About March Madness, Time](https://time.com/33827/duke-mercer-ncaa-tournament-2014-march-madness-bracket/)
12. [Hornets Select Austin Rivers with Tenth Pick in 2012 NBA Draft, New Orleans Pelicans](https://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/hornets_select_austin_rivers_w_2012_06_28.html)
13. [Season in Review: Austin Rivers, BourbonStreetShots](https://www.bourbonstreetshots.com/2013/04/24/season-in-review-austin-rivers/)
14. [Austin Rivers' Long-Range Shooting Soars With Repetition & Tweaks, LA Clippers](https://www.nba.com/clippers/news/austins-hot-shooting)
15. [What Austin Rivers brings to the Denver Nuggets, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/what-rivers-brings-to-nuggets-042021)
16. [Nuggets season in review: Austin Rivers, Denver Stiffs](https://www.denverstiffs.com/denver-nuggets-season-in-review-austin-rivers/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › NBA players, 2011–2018 › NBA guards, 2011–2018*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license