Austin Rivers Reacts to Warriors' Broadcast Commentary on Him, Teammate
Last night, during the loss to the Denver Nuggets, Warriors on-air broadcast crew Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike made a few comments that did not sit well with Nuggets player Austin Rivers. He reacted specifically to an accent the broadcasters attributed to another Nuggets player, Facundo Campazzo, as well as suggesting that Austin Rivers only received a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers because his father, Doc Rivers, was the coach.
Rivers took to Instagram with his comments, citing some of his stats with the Clippers that he felt invalidated the comments that Azubuike and Fitzgerald made. He closed out his statement by saying the commentary was “For sure unprofessional” after making an effort to defend himself and his teammate.
The accent attributed to Campazzo came after the broadcasters criticized him for complaining to the referees when a call went against him after getting tangled up with Andre Iguodala as the two went for the same rebound. Rivers made sure to call out Azubuike and Fitzgerald for that specific moment as well during his comments on Instagram.
NBA Twitter has reacted generally negatively towards the comments made on-air, although it does not seem like it’s made the full rounds just yet. Rivers appears to be the only player to have commented on it, although it’s entirely possible there will be more comments about it during the next Nuggets media availability, likely post-practice.
The Nuggets and Warriors play for the second time this week tomorrow at 6:30pm Pacific time. The Dubs will look to bounce back after a loss that included a horrendous first quarter, but a phenomenal second. They should be able to adjust the offense with Draymond Green still slated to miss time, and hopefully Steph Curry can get going earlier.
(Photo credit: C. Morgan Engel / Getty Images)