Austin Rivers knows that breaking into the rotation of the Los Angeles Clippers will be a tough task even if it is his father, Doc Rivers, calling the shots. He has to prove himself and somewhere along the way he may get emotional.
Should that happen, he may want to keep things in check since it could result in a hefty fine similar to what he just incurred when he threw a seat cushion into the stands that inadvertently hit an innocent lady fan in the process.
Clippers officials attended to the lady who got hit but it remained that she had suffered discomfort in her eyes because of the hit. The whole cushion-flinging incident happened with about seven minutes left in the fourth quarter between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sacramento Kings.
Rivers says that the pillow was light and wasn't looking at wherever it landed. Realizing he probably shouldn't have flung that seat cushion, it was only then when he saw the landing spot — the face of an innocent fan simply enjoying the game.
Rivers was fined $25,000 for that incident which was, apparently, a result of the team's frustration at that point. The Clippers still won though, 104–88.
After the game, Rivers invited the fan back to the locker room after the match where he personally apologized for the unfortunate incident. Everything seemed to have ended well with the Rivers ending up taking some photos with the fan.
It remains to be seen if the National Basketball Association (NBA) will dig deeper into the accident despite Austin's father and coach saying that it was an accident stemming from that unit's frustration at the time. He considers the pillow throw as something done on impulse and not intentional.
The good thing for the younger Rivers is that he does not have a bad record of the like, although the NBA may be looking more into the matter as we speak.
