With the ABCD camp back in business, certain NBA stars are urging the young athletes to look at Chris Paul for inspiration. His former teammate, Austin Rivers recently shared a powerful piece of advice for young hoopers after participating in Tracy McGrady’s ABCD Camp in Phoenix. His message resonated beyond basketball and sports and got a clear endorsement from Stephen Curry.

Right after the camp, the former Clippers star detailed his key takeaways for high school prospects facing intense scout pressure on an Instagram post. Rivers emphasized the importance of becoming a “next play player.” To illustrate his point, Rivers singled out 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul as the gold standard of immediate accountability and relentless motor.

“A big takeaway from that camp… being a next play person. Not letting it compound, not letting mistakes compound. Not letting your mistakes, your errors, your turnovers, your missed shots, your trial and error, affect your next play,” Rivers explained.

“One of the best I’ve ever seen at this, and I got to shout him out because it’s something I never had as a basketball player. Chris Paul, man, if he used to turn the ball over, he used to like, or someone stole one of his passes or ripped him, or something like that, he was like a bat out of hell. He was offended.”

Rivers didn’t shy away from admitting it: mistakes used to shake his confidence for the rest of the game. Paul was wired differently- every error seemed to flip a switch, turning him more aggressive on defense in the very next play.

“The way this dude would run to try to go get the ball back, I’ve never seen anything like that. He was almost offended you took it from him,” Rivers recalled. “Most people, even like myself, would turn it over and hang my head, throw up my hands, deflect… He used to do the complete opposite. That’s the key for life and not just sports.”

The insightful message quickly caught the attention of NBA royalty. 4x NBA champion Stephen Curry, who shared the Golden State Warriors backcourt with Paul, voiced his complete agreement in the comment section with a simple “🙌🏽” emoji.

Veteran forward PJ Tucker was also there and he backed the sentiment with a “💯”.

Rivers joined Tracy McGrady for the first season of the rebooted ABCD camp, where top high school talent got access to elite coaching and a high-visibility stage to compete on. Dozens of NBA scouts and evaluators were watching every possession, and Rivers kept noticing the same thing: promising players letting a single mistake unravel their entire performance.

In his caption, Rivers reinforced his message to young players: “Be a next play player!!! Be a next play person!!! It’s okay to be hard on yourself….but when appropriate. In the moment, in competition, keep trusting keep going!!! On to the next, head up! The best I’ve seen live by this. Trust your work 🫡”

Rivers also drove the point home with the example of New York Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, noting that he didn’t let the first-half setbacks during the NBA Finals series prevent heroic late-game comebacks, including that 29-point turnaround, which is the biggest Finals comeback in NBA history.

“You don’t have that big comeback in New York if he was hanging his head the whole time. It’s because he kept playing,” Rivers added.

With endorsement from legendary shooters like Curry, Rivers’ advice serves as a timeless masterclass for the next generation,