Lakers’ Forward Clears the Air Around His Feud with Former Clippers Coach Doc Rivers

After the Lakers’ 2020 championship win, Jared Dudley has been in news because of his comments and interviews. For instance, the tumultuous relationship between Jared and the LA Clippers has surfaced again. The two united for the first and last time in the 2013-14 season when Dudley left the Phoenix Suns and relocated to Los Angeles.

Dudley never had a very successful career path after being the 22nd overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets. His career-best performances came for the Phoenix Suns, and this got the Clippers interested in him. But the collaboration ended on bitter terms as Jared and head coach Doc Rivers could not work in tandem. 

Jared Dudley on his comments about Doc Rivers

When the Clippers blew their massive 3-1 lead against the underdogs Denver Nuggets, the Lakers enjoyed it. Dudley spoke about the Lakers laughing at their potential opponents’ loss. The Clippers’ loss killed the chances of their first-ever face-off against the Lakers in the playoffs. 

Taking this as a reference point, a Twitter user spoke about how Jared was still mad with the way Doc Rivers handled him six years ago. To this, the Lakers forward responded by writing, “It was at one time, not anymore .. That team is a totally different now.. New owner, organization, and new players.. My comments are based on everything I saw”

With this response, the 35-year-old tried to close the case that once got him into serious trouble.

What exactly happened with the Lakers’ forward and Doc Rivers?

The 2013-14 season was coach Doc Rivers’ first year of coaching the Clippers. He was coming in after making the Boston Celtics the champion, and hence expectations were very high.

This was also the year Jared Dudley joined the franchise. But unfortunately for him, he had hurt his back while training in the August of that year. Moreover, he had some pain in his knees and was unable to bend them to 90 degrees. Even after reporting this to the head coach, he was allegedly pushed to play because the team was already missing JJ Reddick (herniated disk) and Matt Barnes (calf injury). This aggravated Jared’s injury further and eventually worsened his relationship with the franchise. 

Now, Jared seems to be signaling that he has overcome the bad memories, but laughing at the Clippers’ loss says otherwise.

Read also – “Can’t Call No Man A B*tch”: Lakers Veteran Calls Out Snoop Dogg Over Danny Green Rant