Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers has claimed that multiple All-Star players shared his view and reached out in support after he rebuffed Kyrie Irving’s stance about the NBA restart.
On a conference call with the media on Friday, Rivers emphasized that he understands Irving’s stance and that there was no right or wrong between them. However, he expressed his belief that what he said “was the better way” — a feeling which he got after players around the league messaged him.
“I’ve had conversations with a lot of NBA players, All-Stars that I’ve been on the phone with,” Austin Rivers said, per Rockets Wire. “They’ve appreciated the comments that I’ve said. That’s not what it was intended for. I literally just posted a comment. I didn’t even tweet or DM that. I commented, and it kind of took off from there.”
To recall, Irving reportedly told his fellow players on a phone call in June that he doesn’t support going to Orlando for the NBA restart. He cited the current social climate in the U.S. as the reason why it’s not the right time to resume basketball, even saying that “something smells a little fishy” with the league’s plan to return.
Rivers, of course, disagreed with Irving and argued that the players can still make a change without sacrificing their livelihoods and careers. He also claimed that the money they will earn could be put to good use, particularly to social justice causes.
Put simply, the Rockets’ backup guard thinks they would be able to make more change by playing instead of sitting out the NBA return plan.
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