The NBA and NFL find ways to intertwine now and then. Mostly, it involves doffing one’s hat in respect, emotional acknowledgments, and a love for either sport. However, in a recent podcast, former NBA star Austin Rivers claims that basketballers hold a higher distinction than their NFL counterparts who “catch the ball and run”. He boldly said, “I can take 30 players right now in the NBA and throw them in the NFL”, whereas the football league can not replicate the same. Now, as the notion sparks furious reverts from plenty of sporting big names, Charles Barkley aimed to equalize the fulcrum of respect.

“I got to call out Austin Rivers,“ Chuck said on the TNT show with a sly smile on his face. “Austin Rivers, I love you. We can’t play football,” Charles Barkley attempted to bash the narratives. While Shaq intervened by repeating, “Yeah, we can,” CB used the platform to radiate his sentiments towards Austin. But Shaq, motivated to spark a debate, told him to stand up, potentially aiming to highlight the stature of basketball players.

To that, Charles Barkley firmly claimed, “Football is a grown man’s sport,” before the crew came together to misdirect Shaq’s attention. Many NBA players have opened up on their love for football, proving that a majority of players are up to date with daily NFL unfolding.

Some of them have even radiated a passion and aspiration to take up the sport professionally, mostly because of their high school/college days on the gridiron. However, despite their mutual love, the two sports are different.

It demands different levels of strength, skills, and athletic qualities. Recognizing the same, Rivers faces the wrath of NFL entities, aiming to imbibe the contrasting concepts of the sport and its players.

JJ Watts forces Austin Rivers to question his place

NBA players are some of the best athletes in the world; be it strength, grit, skills, speed, or athleticism. Nevertheless, it does not take away from the superhuman-like strength, agility, and endurance NFL players work towards. As Rivers’ comments aimed to dampen the high-regard NFL players are showered with, JJ Watts- considered one of the best in the sport, deployed a cutting response.

The 5x first-team All-Pro player shed light on Rivers’ playing days being behind him, saying, “You don’t got a job in either right now, go head and try it…”. In a follow-up tweet, JJ intended to shed light on his basketball abilities before any troll lined up. About an hour later, he wrote, “For the record, I could absolutely not play in the NBA. 6 hard fouls is about all I could give you and call it a day”.

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Last time Rivers played in the NBA was his Minnesota Timberwolves stint in 2022-23. Even though it has not been much time since his last game, Rivers failed to live up to the hype around him. He also failed to receive any season-long awards or accolades. With that, JJ Watt’s response gives a reality check to the former NBA player and potentially hinders his new career as an analyst.

There is no path to tell if NBA players can hold their own on the turf against pro-NFL players, or the other way around. However, Barkley’s comments hint that there might be certain layers Rivers could have missed in his statement. Moreover, JJ’s comeback also resonates the same.