“In the Streets We Call You a Bust”: Super Bowl Champ James Jones Clamps Down Hard on Austin Rivers

The NFL world recently came together to put Austin Rivers in his place after his disrespectful statement. He had asserted that 30 active NBA players could easily compete in the NFL right now, but the tables wouldn’t turn the other way for NFL players. This left him at the crossroads of many present and retired NFL players, with former Super Bowl champion James Jones leading the charge in a war of words with the basketball point guard.

Reacting to Rivers’ statement on a recent episode of The Speak, Jones stated that if Austin stepped on the NFL field, he wouldn’t make it, considering he barely made it in the NBA. The former NFL star even clamped down on Rivers, targeting his professional career.

Pointing out Rivers’ stats, Jones noted that in 11 NBA seasons, Austin played for 7 different franchises and averaged a meager nine points per game despite being a top 10 pick. He said that being the son of NBA legend Doc Rivers, Austin was bound to be a top-10 pick. But after stepping foot onto the professional court, he barely made an impact, with no MVP honors or Championship title to his name.

He also has a disappointing 2 assists and 2 rebounds throughout his not-so-standout career, while James not only became the NFL leader in receiving touchdowns in 2012 but also clinched a Super Bowl a year prior.

“I see 11 seasons, 7 different teams, top 10 pick, I see averaging nine points a game over your career, 2 rebounds, 2 assists over your career, top -10 pick, you know what that sounds like to me- In streets, we call you a bust, homey,” James said. “Now I  led the league in TDs and won a Super Bowl in the highest league, you got none of that. You don’t got any All-Stars. You’re not going to have that because you got 9 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals in the game.”

Jones’s reply comes as a rebuttal to what Rivers said about the former Packers man on social media. On X (formerly Twitter), Rivers put up a post declaring that he doesn’t know who Jones is. Calling him a dimwit, he also pointed out the fallacy in James’ logic, stating that he played in the NBA for 11 seasons while the former Packer played only 8-9 in the NFL.

Nevertheless, this back-and-forth has split the football and basketball fans. While some are siding with Rivers, others are throwing shades at him.

James Jones’ Reply to Austin Rivers Sends Fans Into a Frenzy

Fans joined in this NBA vs. NFL beef and gave their 2 cents. Many sided with Rivers, pointing out that he played longer than Jones in his career and made considerably more money, which is the whole point of choosing any career. Others, however, stated that James suggesting Austin play in the NFL to have a better career just proves Rivers’s point that the NFL is easier in comparison to the NBA. Few even suggested that, given Jones’s lack of production, he had a similar career as Rivers’.

However, many NFL fans leaped in support of James Jones, stating that Rivers should not further escalate the beef as Jones ‘cooked’ him. Others pointed out that the former Packers wideout was better at his job than Austin was at his. Some even targeted Rivers for making it to the league because of his father while James made it on his own. Take a look:

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The year 2024 is turning into the year of beef. While Austin Rivers made some enemies in the NFL world, so did Shaquille O’Neal with his recent feud with Shannon Sharpe. Thus, it can be said with certainty that fans are now waiting with bated breath to see if these disputes actually escalate.