Austin Rivers escalates NBA-NFL spat with James Jones: ‘You’re an idiot.’

Austin Rivers might have had the last word Friday in the heated debate he started earlier this week on whether NBA players could transition to the NFL.

At least it should be the final word, because Rivers went scorched earth on FS1 analyst and former NFL player James Jones for his criticism of Rivers.

In a video post on X/Twitter, Rivers blasted Jones.

“James Jones, I saw your comments, I’m going to make this video, this is my last response with you man, then quite frankly I’m done with this,” Rivers said. “I just don’t have time for these shenanigans with you man.

“You’re an idiot, and I can’t blame you for thinking what you think … Trying to throw out some clickbait BS such as yourself, I don’t understand where you’re getting off …”

For those who missed the debate’s origins, Rivers appeared on The Pat McAfee Show Tuesday and said, “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 NBA.”

McAfee pushed back, and so did NFL defensive legend J.J. Watt and multiple other current and former NFL players.

Jones, who played nine seasons as a wide receiver in the NFL and is now an analyst on FS1’s Speak , joined the debate Wednesday and turned it personal, saying Rivers “barely made the NBA,” among other things. Rivers fired back on X/Twitter, and Jones responded on Speak Thursday, calling Rivers a “bust” and suggested he was a lottery draft pick because his father is longtime NBA head coach Doc Rivers.

Some felt Jones made things a little too personal. Rivers fired back with one personal insult after another aimed at Jones.

“I don’t even know who you are, so this is kind of silly,” Rivers said. “We’re only here in the first place because you got offended that I said there are a handful of NBA players that could make the transition over to the NFL.”

Rivers, now an NBA analyst, reiterated his belief that players such as LeBron James, Zion Williamson, Russell Westbrook and Ja Morant could play in the NFL, pointing out past NFL stars, such as Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates, who started as basketball players.

“So for you to even be offended by that, that’s on you, the truth hurts,” Rivers said. “And then to take it a step further and try to come at me personally, and say, ‘You could never play in the NFL.’ I never said I could.

“And then for you to try to come on my career, which has nothing to do with my comments, is kind of silly. And it’s even more silly coming from you, considering you were a role player as well in your career, nothing supersonic in your NFL career stands out, for real, for real.”

Rivers was just getting warmed up. He then compared his lifetime earnings to what Jones made in the NBA.

“If you want to talk about numbers, there’s a glaring difference between you and me in one regard, and we both know what that is … but I don’t really want to talk finance, especially with a guy that I out-earned …  I think your whole career earnings was like one year of mine. It’s just silly for us to debate or talk.”

Just when it seemed Rivers had surely run out of putdowns for Jones, he threw out another surprise, even dragging Oscar-winning actor James Jones’ name into the conversation.

“I don’t know anything about you, I don’t know you from Timbuktu, I only know James Jones, the real James Jones like everyone else knows. It’s got to be hard not even dominating your own name,” Rivers said.

“I hate that we’re here, but sometimes you have to pick a booger, so here I am with you.”

It’s clear Rivers is finished with the feud. It’s hard to imagine Jones could have a response to all that, but stay tuned.

[Austin Rivers on X/Twitter]

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