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Press Conference | Austin Rivers - 09/26/17

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Jay Johnson

DURHAM, N.C. – Five years ago, Austin Rivers went down in Duke lore, sinking a buzzer-beating, game-winning 3-pointer to stun North Carolina, snapping the Tar Heels’ record 31-game home winning streak.

A decade earlier, J.J. Redick began what would become one of the greatest college basketball careers ever, leaving Duke as the school’s all-time leading scorer.

The former Blue Devils, now both Clippers teammates, traveled Thursday night down to Durham to watch Duke beat North Carolina in person, 86-78.

“It’s fun to come back here, especially a day like today – this is one of the biggest rivalries in sports,” Rivers said. “Lot of bad blood. It’s the best of the best in college basketball. Half these kids will be in the NBA one day. Hall of Fame coaches, just to see them compete is fun.”

Much to the chagrin of Clippers rookie and former North Carolina forward Brice Johnson, who was on the other side of the building in the North Carolina section supporting his Tar Heels, it was even more fun for Rivers and Redick to leave with a win.

The number of Clippers’ ties to the game runs deep. There’s Redick, Rivers and Johnson. There’s assistant coach Patrick Sullivan, who played in three NCAA Final Fours at North Carolina and coached at the school as an assistant.

There’s also Raymond Felton, who played against Redick as a member of the Tar Heels. He wasn’t able to make Thursday’s reunion, as the South Carolina native went to see family, showing up at his nephew’s senior night as a surprise.

Redick said as soon as he got to the NBA 11 years ago, he’d cross-reference his pro team’s schedule with the NCAA schedule to see any opportunities to catch a Duke game.

Usually, he’s out of luck. This year was an exception.

The Clippers left a snowstorm in New York and landed in Charlotte in the late afternoon Thursday. Redick and Rivers then immediately booked it for Durham. For Redick, it was the first time in seven years the NBA schedule aligned to where he could go to a Duke game.

“It just so happens it’s Duke-UNC,” Redick said. “So, I’m very lucky this year.”

The video scoreboard is new at Cameron Indoor Stadium. So, too, are two of the national championship banners. Other than that, Redick didn’t notice much of a change in the atmosphere from when he was playing.

“It’s as good as it’s ever been,” Redick said.

Particularly when North Carolina’s in town.

“Literally, it’s all anyone talks about in this state for the entire year,” Redick said. “I can’t go anywhere in this state without hearing something about UNC or Tyler Hansbrough.”

Despite Hansbrough foiling Redick’s Senior Night in a North Carolina win 11 years ago, Redick will always remember the grandeur and buildup of four years of matchups against the Tar Heels. There’s a special sort of intimacy at Cameron Indoor, an arena built for fewer than 10,000 fans, with the sounds of the student section and the deafening cheers reverberating from one side of the court to the other.

Every fan feels within arm distance of the players of the court, so much so that Redick said if he were still playing, the last person in the last row of the arena could’ve seen the black eye he was sporting from an elbow he took two games prior.

“Whether it’s a Duke-UNC game or I come in here and Cameron’s empty, it’s always an emotional experience to come back to a place I have so many memories,” Redick said.

While he wishes he would’ve left with a national title, his jersey hanging above him in the rafters shows how much the former national player of the year will always mean to the program.

Redick will forever be remembered at Duke for the records he set, while Rivers, who only played one season before going pro, will forever have a place in his school’s history for one moment in particular.

“I hit the shot,” Rivers said. “Everybody brings it up. Every time I come here, everybody’s always asking, ‘Are we going to get another game like that tonight?”

Luckily for Duke fans, Thursday night didn’t require stressing until the final second, as Grayson Allen’s 3-pointer put the Blue Devils ahead by a comfortable five points with just over a minute remaining. Redick, whose family also attended the game, and Rivers both stayed until the end, celebrating and taking pictures with the Duke faithful.

“It’s always good to see old faces, people who helped me along the way,” Rivers said.

For Johnson, the result was more somber, but the experience was one he couldn’t miss. After playing in the rivalry game as recently as last year, he said it might’ve been even crazier to see it from the stands for the first time.

When Johnson thinks back to where Duke-North Carolina games rank for him in terms of college sports memories, they’re right at the top, behind only the Final Four.

“Can’t really describe it,” Johnson said. “It’s insane. It’s an entire week, from Monday to the game, it’s crazy…We respect each other as players, but when it’s time to come on the court, we hate each other.”

With two former Duke players now teammates, though, that hate has to dissipate. For his former teammates still at North Carolina, though, it remains as prevalent as ever.

As the Tar Heels went to the locker room following the loss, Johnson left them with a hopeful message.

After all, when March 4 hits, the craziness of Duke-North Carolina begins again, this time back at Johnson’s old stomping grounds.

“I told them, ‘It’s all right, long season,’” Johnson said. “Couple more games, they’ll get them again.”

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Redick, Rivers, Johnson Make Trip To Duke-North Carolina

Joseph Ibarra

This weekly series from Clippers.com features a Q&amp;A with Clippers players, coaches, alumni or those tied somehow to the Clippers’ organization. The next edition features guard Austin Rivers.

LOS ANGELES – The Rivers are under the weather.

Head coach Doc Rivers was absent from Tuesday’s practice with an illness, just a couple days after Austin Rivers missed Sunday’s game with flu-like symptoms. It was just a bump in an otherwise sensational start to the month for Austin, who’s averaging 20.3 points per game in January.

He was back at practice Tuesday, where he discussed how he’s feeling now and the schedule finally giving the Clippers a breather.

How are you feeling now after missing last game being sick?

AR: “I feel a little better, still a little under the weather, but I feel a lot better than what I did two days ago. I came in and worked out yesterday. Good news is I was only out two days, so it wasn’t enough time to get out of rhythm or anything like that. If anything, it probably helped me just to get a little rest.”

How were you feeling when you played in Sacramento, and how much worse did it get afterward?

AR: “I was feeling a little under the weather before the game (in Sacramento), but obviously I was like, ‘I’m ready to play.’ Then, I played the game and after the game I felt a little achy but nothing really serious. It wasn’t until I got on the plane that I started to feel everything else – the head, the stomach – everything started to come together. That next day it was like, ‘Man…’ We’ve all had it before. It’s one of those things that just sucks. When you have that little bug…it is kind of like the flu, but it’s not like there’s some master pill or antibiotic you can take. You kind of just have to let it pass through. I watched a lot of TV, a lot of movies. You can quiz me on just about any movie right now.”

AR: “Believe it or not, I’m a nerd sometimes, I watched the whole Lord of the Rings series – all three of them. Those things are like four hours a piece.”

Did you and Doc share a water bottle or something?

AR: “No, why, is he sick, too? Oh, man. You know what, my sister is sick, too. Stay away from the Rivers family. I didn’t know he had it. I haven’t talked to him in like two or three days. I just changed my number yesterday, so I texted him and he didn’t text me back. He probably thinks it’s some random number.”

The schedule seems to be easing up a little bit at least, how nice is it to get a few days off between games?

AR: “That’s nice. Obviously we played a lot of games, maybe too many, I don’t know. It’s hard for us to say, because we love playing basketball. I don’t care how many, there could be 90 games, I would love playing that many games. But, obviously when it’s happening, seven games in 10 days, that’s when your body is like, ‘Man,’… but listen, everybody has to go through stretches like that. I’m glad we get a little bit of a break, two days in between games, that’s nice. We’ve got to take advantage of it.”

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24 Seconds With Austin Rivers: Getting Over Sickness

Robyn Dixon

LOS ANGELES – It’s been a memorable month for Austin Rivers, who got his jersey retired at his high school outside Orlando before dropping a season-high 25 points against the Magic, and is shooting 47.5 percent from 3-point range in December.

This week, Rivers took some time to answer questions from fans, submitted to Clippers.com using “#LACmailbag” on Facebook and Twitter.

Alex Drury – What do you think you’ve improved most at since you entered the league? #LACmailbag

AR: “I think my patience has been the biggest thing. I think I was always in a rush early on in the league. I think I’ve learned to be patient, and to not give what the defense is giving me but to take through my rhythm, through my speed. I think that’s the biggest thing.”

Joshuwa Gensemer – How did it feel to have your jersey retired at your high school? #LACmailbag

AR: “It was one of the most memorable nights I ever had, and it has little to do with the fact my jersey was retired. I think it was more, the fact that I got my jersey retired with my former and current teammates is probably one of the coolest things I think any teammate could have, to see where I’m at now, where I was before, and to have everybody see that was pretty cool.”

Anne Story – What’s your favorite memory of playing at Winter Park? #LACmailbag

AR: “Winning state (titles) with my friends that I grew up with. We didn’t have a prep school…so all those kids I won with, I’ve been friends with since I was in like third grade. We all grew up knowing we were going to high school with each other. To grow up and say, ‘One day we should win states,’ and we won back to back, which no one has ever done before (there), that’s pretty special.”

Luke Mitchell (@lukemitch24) – What was your favorite Christmas present ever? #LACmailbag

AR: “I got a motor scooter when I was, like, 12. I wanted one so bad, for whatever reason. I got a motor scooter. Everybody was riding the little Razor scooter and I got a motor one, so I was driving around. I thought I was real cool, so that probably was my favorite gift ever.”

Katy Terry (@kateterry64) – What have you done to improve your 3-point field goal percentage? You’re on fire! #LACmailbag

AR: “Gotten way more shots up. Just been shooting the ball way more, as you just saw. I never did this last year, getting this many shots up, shooting with J.J. (Redick), shooting after J.J., shooting before J.J. I’m trying to shoot more threes than anybody on my team.”

Clips Fan For Life (@StevenYaghoubi) – Did you learn anything from last season’s playoff series going into this year? #LACmailbag

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Mailbag 12/22: Austin Rivers Answers Fan Questions

ORLANDO – An hour after Wednesday night’s game against the Magic, DeAndre Jordan still had a basketball in his hands.

It was the game ball, one head coach Doc Rivers gave him after becoming the Clippers’ all-time blocks leader with his third block of the game, passing Benoit Benjamin for the top spot in the franchise’s history with his 1,118th career block.

“It’s awesome, man,” Jordan said. “It’s real humbling just to be able to do something special like that with a team that drafted (me) when I was 19 years old. I think that’s awesome. I only want to build off it and continue to get better. Stuff like that helps us win games.”

Jordan, who finished the night with 22 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and two assists, set the team’s block record by swatting Aaron Gordon’s 3-point attempt with 23 seconds left, with the Clippers nursing a five-point lead.

While Evan Fournier hit a two-point basket shortly after, that block ensured the Clippers stayed up by three points. That was crucial, as the Clippers went 1-of-2 at the free-throw line on their next trip, which still allowed them to hold onto a two-possession advantage in an eventual 113-108 win.

Jordan, who’s averaging 1.8 blocks per game this year and has averaged at least 1.4 blocks per game each of the last seven seasons including this year, is now the Clippers’ all-time leader in both blocks and rebounds.

He was proud to receive Wednesday’s game ball to commemorate the former honor.

“That was pretty cool,” Jordan said. “My teammates were really proud of me. I’ve just got to continue to build on that.”

The Clippers’ Orlando connections run deep.

Of course, former Clippers Jeff Green and C.J. Wilcox now play for the Magic. On the Clippers’ side, Orlando drafted J.J. Redick, who played his first six-plus years with the Magic and said he still pays attention to what the team is doing.

Then, there’s Marreese Speights, who’s from St. Petersburg, roughly a two-hour drive from Orlando. Speights said most of his family always makes the trip when he plays in Orlando, sometimes bringing as many as 95 to 100 people to that game, though this time around that numbers was closer to the 30s.

“It’s fun playing here,” said Speights, whose mother made the trip and is also hoping to see family when the Clippers play Friday in Miami. “It’s cool, especially because it just feels like home when I come back.”

Then there’s Austin Rivers, who grew up closer to Orlando than anyone on the Clippers’ roster, in nearby Winter Park. And he made his return home count.

On Tuesday night, the Clippers came out to see Rivers get his jersey retired at his high school.

“It was a cool time just to see my jersey go up in front of all my family, all my friends now and friends that I’ve had since I was 6, 7 years old,” Rivers said. “It was pretty cool. Definitely a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life, for sure.”

But many weren’t sure he’d even be able to play back home Wednesday, after sustaining a concussion that held him out of Monday’s game.

But Rivers passed all the tests, then lit it up against the Magic with a team-high and season-high 25 points, matching a career high with seven made 3-pointers while going an efficient 9-for-12 from the floor, earning the start for the injured Luc Mbah a Moute (AC joint).

“Austin’s coming off the retirement high,” Jordan joked. “He was killing it, huh? The whole Winter Park here tonight… For him to come out tonight and just put on a show like that in front of the outskirts of his hometown was pretty cool to see.”

Rivers is now 13-for-20 from long distance in the last three games he’s played, with the highlight of those coming Wednesday in Orlando. At one point in that game, Rivers came back down the court after a late 3-pointer and slapped hands with one of the roughly 20 people he brought to watch.

“It’s good to have a good game anywhere,” Rivers said. “But I would be lying to you if I said it isn’t a little bit more fun to do it here, for sure.” 

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Jordan Sets Clippers’ Blocks Record; Rivers With Strong Homecoming

WINTER PARK, Fla. – Every second counted.

The Clippers snuck out a win Monday night and boarded a plane early Tuesday morning for a nearly five-hour flight from Los Angeles to Orlando in advance of their game Wednesday against the Magic, before many then made the 30-plus minute drive from the airport to Winter Park for Austin Rivers’ jersey retirement at his high school Tuesday night.

With the ceremony happening before a 7:30 p.m. ET high school game tip-off, and the Clippers landing around 6 p.m., any delay could make the timing nearly impossible. And there was a delay.

Upon landing, Rivers and the many coaches and teammates who wanted to show their support swiftly shuffled over to the bus set for Winter Park when, roughly halfway there, the bumpy sounds and rubbery smells of a flat tire began to envelop a bus that wasn’t going to make it on time.

So, they did what anyone would think to do. The Clippers had a mission, and they weren’t going to let Rivers miss this, so the roughly 20 people packed inside the bus on the side of the Florida highway started calling separate Ubers, making sure Rivers and his family were the first ones there.

And by around 7 p.m., just in the nick of time, Rivers and his Clippers supporters arrived to a packed Winter Park gymnasium. Rivers, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford, Wesley Johnson, Raymond Felton and Brice Johnson weaved their way through the crowd, stopping to take pictures and allow Rivers to soak in the moment at a court filled with those who’d been there for Rivers since the beginning of his basketball journey.

“I’m just so appreciative everyone came out tonight,” Rivers said. “I’m very grateful.”

He could breathe a sigh of relief. Rivers made in time, and the Clippers were there. His family was there. His coaches, dearest friends and high school teammates were there, too, as cheers of “AUS-TIN RIV-ERS” reverberated throughout the gymnasium.

 “As a dad, it was really cool,” said Clippers head coach Doc Rivers. “Obviously, I watched him grow up, and what I loved about it is all his teammates came out. They were so close, they won state titles together. So, that was really neat. As a coach, what I love is the other players all here.”

With many of those other players nearby, Austin’s high school coaches helped introduce him as he walked up to the stage, flanked by his family.

Winter Park’s all-time leader in scoring and steals, the All-American top recruit who led the school to back-to-back state champions before becoming the ACC Rookie of the Year at Duke and making his way to the NBA, was back home in a place he’d never gotten too big for.

Two of his old high school teammates in attendance say Austin hasn’t changed since their days together at Winter Park, even though both of them knew early on how realistic a path the NBA would be.

“He was scoring 30 as a freshman, and we had a tough division playing in the biggest league in Florida,” said James Ferrell, who’d go on to play in college at Rollins. “It was pretty evident he was going to make it.”

“I don’t think there was any doubt in anyone’s mind,” added Robert Lovaglio, who’d go on to play at Loyola.

Lovaglio said getting everyone back in the gym brought back plenty of memories.

Austin helped Winter Park to a 109-18 record during his four years with the team, but as his former head coach said, he never let his own personal gain or success overshadow the group’s progress.

“He was happy that he got the individual accolades, but he understood the importance of being a teammate,” said Austin’s high school coach, David Bailey.

What Bailey remembers most was Austin’s growth from freshman to senior year, before ultimately capping his high school career with back-to-back state titles. With Austin’s guidance, Winter Park basketball got on the map.

“We played on national TV a lot,” Bailey said. “It was an experience for a lot of our kids that they’d never get to experience again in their lives.”

Not that Austin is quick to take all the credit.

Austin said the transformation of Winter Park basketball began with his older brother’s class. Then, his class helped take it to another level.

“But, we all changed the program,” Austin said. “We had a great coach and great teammates. The players here…everybody was a part of it.”

And on Tuesday, everybody was a part of Austin’s night.

With the Winter Park gym filled to a brim, the sounds of those cheering Austin’s name on one side of the gym could only be echoed out by his Clippers’ teammates on the other end, as he went to take the microphone.

“I’ve been fortunate to have some of the best teammates I could ask for,” said Austin, who thanked his teammates, friends, family, coaches and old teachers before the high school game tipped off.

Rivers’ No. 25 jersey is just the second jersey to ever get retired at Winter Park.

The first? Austin’s older sister, Callie, for her volleyball prowess helping Winter Park to three state titles, which Austin joked about in a social media post after the event:

“A fun night to remember! Honored to be the second athlete ever to have their jersey retired at my old high school....( the first was my sister )! Very thankful to have great friends, teammates, and family! Now back to the grind so I can have more memorable nights like tonight! #thankful #praiseGod”

With the ceremony done, Austin continued to say hello to old friends and pose for photos, including one he’ll likely hold particularly dear, as members of his high school state title teams and his current Clippers’ teammates all gathered around Austin and his jersey for a group shot.

In that moment, Austin’s former and current worlds collided. And he couldn’t be more thankful to be standing where he was.  

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Austin Rivers Gets Jersey Retired At Winter Park High School

Anthony Davila

LOS ANGELES – The Clippers’ resilient symbol and near hero of Game 6 in Portland is back with the same team, just likely in a different jersey.

This offseason provided a new experience for Austin Rivers, who officially re-signed Friday with the Clippers on a three-year deal, ending a free agency period he described as both exciting and stressful.

“Last year when I was a free agent, I didn’t have this many options,” Rivers said. “This summer obviously was a whole ‘nother thing. It really was the first time in my life being recruited at this level and having multiple meetings with teams.”

In addition to the Clippers, Rivers said he also met with the Knicks and received interest from Portland and Houston, among a handful of teams.

But, the Clippers remained at the forefront, and Rivers decided he wanted to build on what was started in Los Angeles after spending the last season and a half with the Clippers.

While it’s a return to his old team, he feels it’s the start of a new beginning for him personally as an NBA player – which is why he said he plans on changing his number from “25” to “0,” the number he wore at Duke.

“I chose zero because that’s where I start from and go up,” Rivers said. “It’s a fresh start. This is where I feel like it begins for me as ‘a pro’s pro.’”

Rivers made his decision a few days into the moratorium but didn’t officially sign until Friday.  

“The money was pretty much equal across the board from most of the teams,” Rivers said. “It was just, ‘What did I want to be a part of?”

He felt comfortable with the Clippers, averaging career highs in points per game (8.9) and shooting percentage (43.8) while getting commended for his defensive jump last season.

Even before a courageous Game 6, finishing with 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds despite getting stitches both below and above his left eye in Portland, Rivers felt he was gaining momentum with the players around him. That much was evident late in the regular season, when a group of Clippers backups went to Utah with the starters resting and beat a full-strength Jazz squad still contending for a spot in the postseason.

Rivers said being on a playoff team around teammates and a system he’s already familiar with made a difference to him. He said the more he played with Jamal Crawford, who also re-signed this week, the more he developed a rapport with the reigning Sixth Man of the Year.

“I think, next year, we could be a big difference,” Rivers said. “I’m going to be a lot better and a lot more assertive, especially on the offensive end.”

Crawford said he thought the Clippers’ second unit started to find the chemistry and consistency the starting unit has had after years of the core playing together.

Now, three of the key cogs from that backup unit who were free agents are returning. Rivers believes if the Clippers can stay healthy late in the year this time around, the goals they set out to achieve are still in reach.