Editorial

‘You Don’t Got A Job’: J.J. Watt Blasts Austin Rivers For Asinine Comment About NFL, NBA Players Crossing Over

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Future Pro Football Hall of Famer J.J. Watt blasted ESPN analyst Austin Rivers after he said NBA players can play in the NFL, but not vice versa. Dumb! [Twitter/Screenshot/Public — @ESPNNBA]

[Twitter/Screenshot/Public — @ESPNNBA]

Andrew Powell Sports and Entertainment Blogger
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Let’s be honest … Austin Rivers was a little dumb for this one.

Austin Rivers, a former NBA player who currently works for ESPN as an analyst, made an appearance Tuesday on “The Pat McAfee Show” and said there are loads of NBA players who could go play in the NFL and transition smoothly. However, he also stated that the same thing can’t be said about NFL players going to the NBA. And well, future Pro Football Hall of Famer J.J. Watt wasn’t having it. (RELATED: Nuggets’ Jamal Murray Hit With $100,000 Fine From NBA After Throwing Towel, Heating Pad At A Referee)

“I can take 30 players right now in the NBA and throw them in the NFL. You cannot take 30 NFL players and put them in the NFL,” Rivers told McAfee while attempting to argue that the best athletes on the planet exist in the NBA.

This obviously irked Watt, as the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year shot back with a tweet that reads, “You don’t got a job in either right now, go head and try it.”

Don’t get me wrong; you’ve got to be extraordinarily talented to make it into the NBA, and you have to deal with some physicality. But are we really comparing it to the game of football? Are we really going to say that NFL players wouldn’t be able to make it into the NBA?

I just don’t believe that at all, and quite frankly, Austin Rivers is just being biased — I think that’s quite clear.