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USA Today via Reuters
Nov 24, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) on the sidelines during the first half against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/2023-11-24T214053Z_587203036_MT1USATODAY21963495_RTRMADP_3_NFL-MIAMI-DOLPHINS-AT-NEW-YORK-JETS.jpg?width=600)
USA Today via Reuters
Nov 24, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) on the sidelines during the first half against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
The whole sports world is ripping into Austin Rivers right now. The son of legendary NBA coach Doc Rivers has been catching strays left and right ever since he started the NBA vs. NFL spark. Austin Rivers boldly said that about 30 players from the NBA can get into the NFL, while football players cannot make it to the NBA. Aaron Rodgers, amongst many, also chimed in.
The New York Jets are treating the situation more like a trend and talking to each player about what they think about the situation. Rodgers didn’t say a lot throughout the video, but his succinct responses had a lot of weight to them. The former Packers QB also revealed his top pick that can break the NBA.
Aaron Rodgers chimes in on the polarizing debate
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The New York Jets took to Instagram and posted a video captioned “the great debate.” The first person to be confronted by the question, “Can NBA players play in the NFL?” was Aaron Rodgers. He looked at the camera with a disappointed look on his face as he answered, “No!” A lot of other Jets players interjected and apart from LeBron James or Anthony Edwards, it seemed like the NBA didn’t have a lot to offer to the NFL.
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But the tables turned and this time the interviewer asked the Jets QB, “Can NFL players play in the NBA?” as he was leaving. Rodgers turned around with a gleam in his eyes and a happy face and said, “Yes. Davante Adams,” pointing out his ex-Packers wide receiver colleague.
That response from Rodgers might have been calculated because there is a video of Davante Adams, and he can dunk the ball in fancy ways. 360, behind the back, alley-oop, the Raiders WR can do it all. But coming back to the debate, Austin Rivers is getting flamed by sports journalists all over the place.
Austin Rivers started a war
The debate got so heated that people like Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, JJ Watt, and others also shared weighed in their thoughts. But the SPEAK podcast took it a step further and one of the hosts, ex-Packer James Jones, was quick to provide the NBA free agent a reality check. “Number one, they put in a flop rule in the NBA because you guys are soft. You guys started a trend of rest games, that’s what you all started. Now, you all want extra votes and all that type of stuff to win MVP because you only played 22 games out of 82,” said Jones.
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James Jones calls out Austin Rivers and calls NBA players ‘soft’
"Austin Rivers, if you stepped on the football field homeboy, you wouldn't make it. We know that right now, because you barely made it in the NBA."
(🎥 @SpeakOnFS1 )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 8, 2024
He further added, “Number two, you said 30 dudes. If you would have said one dude or maybe Anthony Edwards could play safety or something, I would have listened. You said 30 dudes. Put respect on our sport, that’s number one. It’s not just run and catch the ball and turn around. It ain’t just hand the ball off and do that. It takes a lot of work on your craft to do what we do on a football field.”
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Rodgers’ former teammate ended the conversation by saying, “Austin Rivers, if you stepped on a football field, homeboy, you wouldn’t make it. We know that right now because you barely made it in the NBA. I’m just keeping it a buck. Football is not an easy game.”
Thankfully, Aaron Rodgers didn’t address Austin Rivers directly, otherwise, it would have been a different story. But more and more people are joining the narrative of football being a tougher sport to be in than basketball. Which side are you on? Let us know below.