Austin Rivers

Rivers was selected by the New Orleans Hornets with the 10th overall pick the 2012 NBA draft. Rivers chose to wear the #25 jersey, the same number his father wore when he was in the NBA. The night before Rivers said, "I want to be like my dad, only better." Joining him as a rookie on the Hornets was Anthony Davis, the first overall pick of the draft. On July 24, 2012, Rivers signed his rookie scale contract with the Hornets.[15] Three days later, Rivers underwent successful surgery to clean up bone spurs in his right ankle.[16]

On October 31, 2012, Rivers made his NBA debut in the Hornets' season opener against the San Antonio Spurs. In 24 minutes as a starter, he scored 7 points on 1-of-9 shooting in a 99–95 loss.[17] On December 14, he scored a then career-high 27 points in a 113–102 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.[18] On March 6, 2013, he broke his hand and subsequently required surgery that forced him to miss the remainder of the season.[19] For his rookie season, he averaged 6.2 points on 37% shooting from the field and 33% from three-point range. In April 2013, the Hornets changed their name to the Pelicans.

Rivers with the Pelicans during the NBA Summer League 2013

On October 16, 2013, the Pelicans exercised their third-year team option on Rivers' rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2014–15 season.[20] On April 12, 2014, Rivers recorded season-highs in points and rebounds with 20 and 10 respectively in the Pelicans' 111–104 loss to the Houston Rockets.[21]

On October 24, 2014, the Pelicans declined to exercise their fourth-year team option on Rivers' rookie scale contract, thereby not extending the contract through the 2015–16 season.[22][23] On December 20, 2014, he scored a season-high 21 points in a 114–88 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[24]

On January 12, 2015, Rivers was traded to the Boston Celtics in a three-team trade involving the Pelicans and the Memphis Grizzlies.[25] Three days later, he joined his father at the Los Angeles Clippers after he was traded in a three-team trade involving the Celtics and the Phoenix Suns.[26] On January 16, Rivers made his debut for the Clippers and became the first son to play for his father in an NBA game.[27] On February 21, Rivers scored a then career-high 28 points in a 129–98 win over the Sacramento Kings.[28] On May 8, he scored a playoff career-high 25 points in the Clippers' 124–99 victory that gave them a 2–1 lead in the Western Conference semi-finals against the Houston Rockets.[29]

On July 13, 2015, Rivers re-signed with the Clippers.[30] On February 6, 2016, he was ruled out for four to six weeks with a broken left hand.[31] On March 31, he scored a career-high 32 points in a 119–117 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.[32] On April 29, Rivers recorded 21 points and eight assists against the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series. However, with a 106–103 loss, the Clippers were eliminated from the playoffs. In the game, Rivers required 11 stitches above his left eye from a collision in the first quarter.[33]

On July 8, 2016, Rivers again re-signed with the Clippers.[34] On December 14, 2016, he scored a season-high 25 points on 7-of-10 from three-point range and 9-of-12 from the field in a 113–108 win over the Orlando Magic.[35] On January 4, 2017, he set a new season high with 28 points in a 115–106 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.[36] He averaged career highs of 12.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists during the 2016–17 regular season, but due to a strained left hamstring, Rivers missed the last six games of the regular season and the first four games of the playoffs before returning in Game 5 of the Clippers' first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz.[37]

On December 3, 2017, Rivers scored a season-high 30 points in a 112–106 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.[38] On December 22, 2017, he scored 30 of his career-high 36 points in the second half of the Clippers' 128–118 win over the Houston Rockets.[39] The following night, he set a new career high with 38 points in a 115–112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.[40] Rivers missed 18 games between late December and early February with a heel bruise.[41][42]

Austin Rivers (2018)

On June 26, 2018, Rivers was traded to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Marcin Gortat.[43][44] On December 17, 2018, Rivers was traded with Kelly Oubre Jr. to the Phoenix Suns for Trevor Ariza.[45] Rivers was waived by the Suns the following day.[46]

On December 24, 2018, Rivers signed with the Houston Rockets.[47] On January 5, 2019, he scored a season-high 21 points in a 110–101 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[48] On April 7, in a 149–113 blowout win against the Phoenix Suns, Rivers made the 27th three-pointer of the game with 1:09 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, beating the Rockets’ own previous record of most made threes by one team in a game (26).[49][50] He appeared in 47 games while averaging 8.7 points, 2.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game. The Rockets won 72% of their games after signing Rivers. He started 13 straight games as a Rocket from Dec. 31 through Jan. 25, averaging 11.6 points, 3.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 38.1 minutes per game. Houston was 15–5 when Rivers scored in double-figures and 9–1 when he recorded at least four assists. He also had nearly as many steals (29) as turnovers (32) with the Rockets.[51]On August 9, 2020, Rivers scored a career-high 41 points off the bench and the Rockets used a big third quarter to pull away and cruise to a 129-112 victory over the Sacramento Kings in the Orlando bubble. Rivers made six 3-pointers as Houston improved to 4-1 at Disney on a night the Rockets played a second straight game without Russell Westbrook, who had a bruised right quadriceps.[52]

On November 27, 2020, Rivers was acquired by the New York Knicks via a sign-and-trade deal.[53]