Green Bay Packers fans, along with fans of sports from all markets, have been following a recent public dispute between Super Bowl-winning wide receiver James Jones and Milwaukee Bucks‘ head coach Doc Rivers’ son, Austin Rivers. Earlier this week, the former NBA lottery pick made waves on social media when he claimed he could take 30 NBA players and put them in the NFL. Moreover, he claimed that they would be successful playing professional football.
Additionally, he argued that no NFL players would be able to find success in the NBA.
This claim did not sit right with former NFL players, including future Hall of Famer and Wisconsin Badgers star JJ Watt who posted on X, “You don’t got a job in either right now, go head and try it…”
Former Packers wide receiver James Jones, who led the NFL in touchdown passes with 14 in 2012, had a strong reaction to Rivers’ claim.
Former Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver James Jones Went Off on Austin Rivers

As reported earlier this week, Jones used his platform to send the following message to Rivers:
“Number one, put respect on our sport; that’s number one. It is not just run and catch the ball and turn around. It ain’t just hand the ball and do that. It takes a lot of work at your craft to do what we do on a football field.
“And 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, and I’m just keeping it a buck. Football is not an easy game, dog. That’s why a lot of basketball players that stepped on the football field, stepped right back on the basketball court because it’s not an easy game.
“It’s a lot that goes into the NFL. And you not ’bout to walk in the NFL and think you ’bout to catch and turn around. Try again, homeboy. Do your research on the NFL, man. Watch some football games… whatever you want to watch and catch up on it, man, because 30 dudes in the NBA ain’t doing that, homeboy.”
Rivers responded by posting on X that he had never heard of Jones, and that he himself was a former lottery pick who played 11 years in the NBA. He also referred to Jones as a “meat head” and claimed that the Super Bowl-winning wide receiver barely made it in the NFL because he only played eight or nine years in the league.
Former Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver James Jones Clapped Back at Austin Rivers

In response to Rivers’ post, Jones doubled down:
James Jones fires back at @AustinRivers25
“You’re 6’4 200 pounds, maybe you should’ve tried football. You might’ve had a better career homeboy, because basketball wasn’t your career from what I’m reading right here.”
(🎥 @SpeakOnFS1 )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 9, 2024
“Alright, homeboy. Since I’m a meathead, I’m gonna stick with my homeboy, man, because we are on TV. I see 11 seasons, seven different teams. Top-10 pick, I see averaging nine points a game over your career. Just two rebounds and two assists over your career.
“Top-10 pick, you know what that sounds like to me? In the streets, we call you a ‘bust,’ homeboy. That’s what that sounds like. Now, if my daddy played in the NBA and I was coming out of the draft, I’d probably be a top-10 pick, too, homeboy.
“But once I get into the league, I would’ve handled my business. Now, I led the league in touchdowns. I won a Super Bowl in the highest league. You did none of that. You don’t got no All-Stars — well, you not gonna have that because you got nine points, two assists, two steals in a game, 65 (%) free throws.
“So, I’m not even gonna keep going back and forth with you; I’ll imma say if you 6-4, 200, maybe you should’ve tried football. You might’ve had a better career, homeboy. Basketball was not your career from what I’m reading right here. So, I’m gonna leave it at that.”
Jones wasn’t mincing words, and he certainly was not playing around. Obviously, he did his research before engaging with Doc Rivers’ son again, something that cannot be said about Rivers’ next response.
Austin Rivers Responded to Former Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver James Jones in a Since Deleted Video

Now, if one things Jones got a little personal bringing up stats, one will think Rivers went way over the line in his response to Jones, which he posted in a video on X.
He said (via Awful Announcing)
“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. 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 …”
“I don’t even know who you are, so this is kind of silly. 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.
“So for you to even be offended by that, that’s on you, the truth hurts. 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.
“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.”
As mentioned, Jones won a Super Bowl and led the NFL in touchdown receptions in 2012.
The fact that the offspring of the Bucks’ head coach brought money into the argument, however, shows that he does not have a leg to stand on. He knows that Jones had a better professional career than him; he just doesn’t want to admit it.
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