The league found Rivers to be in violation tampering.
Doc Rivers’s recent praise for Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard got the Los Angeles Clippers coach in a bit trouble with the NBA. Rivers was a guest on ESPN‘s SportsCenter Special: NBA Finals Preview earlier this week when he made controversial comparisons between Leonard and Michael Jordan. “He is the most like (Michael) Jordan that we’ve seen,” Rivers said. “Not that he is Jordan or anything like that, but he’s the most like him. Big hands, post game, can finish, great leaper, great defender, in-between game, if you beat him to the spot he bumps you f and then you add his three-point shooting.”
It all seemed innocent enough, however, the NBA thought otherwise. Aside from the Kobe Bryant fans who couldn’t believe Rivers would forget about one the Los Angeles Lakers’s greatest players in history, others speculated as to whether or not the coach would find himself in hot water. According to Odds Shark, when Rivers made that statement on ESPN, the Clippers were the Vegas favorites to snag Leonard. It was announced on Friday that the NBA found Rivers to be in violation tampering and issued him a $50,000 fine.
The Raptors will face f against the Golden State Warriors for Game 2 on Sunday, June 2.