Former NBA veteran Austin Rivers came to the defense of two of the league’s current superstars, Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton, after they were roasted on social media following Team USA’s impressive Paris Olympics opener against Serbia.
Despite their team’s smooth 110-84 win on Sunday night, fans could not help but wonder why Tatum and Haliburton were not fielded during the game.
Some of the fans, though, fired online jabs at the said players, but Austin Rivers, through a tweet, asked the spectators to shut up.
“We got people on the internet clowning Tatum and Hali for getting no burn. Y’all corny for that!! Both these dudes were standing the whole game supporting their squad, and both will have an impact at some point or another in these games. They are what winners look like,” Rivers tweeted.
We got people on the internet clowning Tatum and Hali for getting no burn. Yall corny for that!! Both these dudes were standing the whole game supporting their squad, and both will have an impact at some point or another in these games. They are what winners look like 💯
— Austin Rivers (@AustinRivers25) July 29, 2024
Tatum was part of Team USA’s 2021 roster for the Tokyo Olympics and contributed to the team’s 16th Olympic gold.
The six-foot-eight forward gained valuable experience from what would be his first championship as a pro, which he used to great advantage to become the catalyst of the Boston Celtics’ budding 2020s dynasty, leading them to two NBA Finals in the past three seasons and this year’s title.
On the other hand, Tyrese Haliburton was part of the Steve Kerr-coached 2023 Team USA at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Pasay, Philippines.
Despite falling short of a podium finish last year, the six-foot-five guard was among the revelations, and his stellar performance spilled over to the Indiana Pacers’ campaign last NBA season as he carved his name as their new superstar.
Where is Austin Rivers now?
A six-foot-four guard, Austin Rivers last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2022–2023 season. He was on the same team as another Team USA player, Anthony Edwards. Like Haliburton, Edwards was sensational during the FIBA Basketball World Cup last year, so Kerr called Edwards again for national team duties in Paris.
At the end of his one-year deal with the Timberwolves, Rivers, the son of current Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc, decided to accept a role as an analyst for ESPN’s NBA broadcast, essentially retiring as a player in the process.
However, one can argue that Austin, the 10th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, may still consider returning to action since he will just be turning 32 on Thursday with probably a lot of years of playing at peak performance left.
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