Both Doc Rivers and Steve Kerr could return to the media this year. But their comments about ICE earlier this year should give networks pause.
In late January, at the height of public protests, both NBA coaches made false claims about the agency. Kerr said at a press conference that federal agents were not “rooting out violent criminals,” but were instead “taking 5-year-old kindergartners.” Rivers, meanwhile, claimed ICE was randomly targeting Brown people and committing “murder.”
Now, for some facts.
A week before Kerr’s comments, Operation Metro Surge released records showing federal agents had arrested multiple violent offenders, including convicted murderers and sex offenders. That alone undercuts Kerr’s assertion.
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Kerr also pointed to a case in Minneapolis involving a 5-year-old. According to DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, agents were trying to arrest the child’s father, who allegedly fled on foot and left the boy alone in a running vehicle in sub-freezing temperatures. DHS said agents attempted to place the child with his mother.
They were not “taking” the child.
Rivers’ claims were even more incendiary. He accused ICE agents of “murdering” people. Murder is a legal term. He appeared to be referring to the Jan. 9 shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota. Based on available evidence, the ICE agent involved has been described by federal officials as acting in self-defense, citing that Good drove her vehicle directly toward the agent.
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OutKick sent two reporters to ask Kerr and Rivers about their statements, as the rest of the press nodded along and printed their false claims.
To his credit, Kerr acknowledged his mistake.
“Being in Minneapolis for those four days was incredibly emotional and powerful. It was a very difficult time for all of us. At the end of those four days, it was a pretty emotional time. I misspoke, and I apologize for the misinformation,” he said.
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However, Rivers did not walk anything back. He told OutKick he stands by his comments.
“I don’t change what I said at all,” Rivers said. “We all should be worried. Tom Homan, who was the head of DHS, has said they’re targeting people by their color and if they can speak the language. If you’re Brown, you’re nervous because I don’t see anybody going into the Ukrainian villages and arresting anybody. All we can go by is what we see.”
As OutKick reported at the time, Homan never said what Rivers attributed to him. The NBA declined to comment.
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Apparently, the league is comfortable with Rivers spreading misinformation. But potential suitors in the media networks should not be.
It would be irresponsible for a network like ESPN, Amazon Prime or NBC to hire Rivers, who retired this month, after seeing his willingness to lie about serious issues and then double down when confronted with the facts.
Networks could also expose themselves to legal risk, given how loosely and inaccurately Rivers uses the term “murder.”
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Kerr, who is reportedly mulling leaving the Warriors for media work, is also a risk. Though he showed more of a backbone than Rivers by acknowledging his mistake, his initial comments still matter. He also has a long history of political commentary, including speaking at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
And though the NBA’s partners undoubtedly lean left, they understand the downside of overt partisanship. The NBA is still dealing with fallout from its 2020 activism today. ESPN finally acknowledged that platforming far-left voices is bad for business by letting go of commentators like Mark Jones and Clinton Yates.
Of course, that does not mean networks won’t look to hire both or one of the coaches. Sports media has a history of decisions that undercut credibility, and both men bring name recognition that executives value.
Still, the comments Kerr or Rivers made about ICE were incendiary and factually challenged. Any network that would hire them afterward warrants serious scrutiny.
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