David Rivers

American basketball player and coach

For the American football player, see David Rivers (American football). For the politician, see David Foote Rivers.

David RiversPersonal information

Born|  (1965-01-20) January 20, 1965 (age 60)
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Listed height| 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Listed weight| 170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High school| St. Anthony (Jersey City, New Jersey)
College| Notre Dame (1984–1988)
NBA draft| 1988: 1st round, 25th overall pick
Drafted by| Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career| 1988–2001
Position| Point guard
Number| 14, 44, 32, 4, 15
Coaching career| 2014–2015
Career history
As a player:
1988–1989| Los Angeles Lakers
1989–1990| Los Angeles Clippers
1990–1991| Tulsa Fast Breakers
1991| Memphis Rockers
1991–1992| Los Angeles Clippers
1992–1993| La Crosse Catbirds
1993–1995| Olympique Antibes
1995–1997| Olympiacos
1997–1998| Fortitudo Bologna
1998–2000| Tofaş
2000–2001| Olympiacos
2003–2004| Olympique Antibes
As a coach:
2008| Virtus Bologna (Academy)
2014–2015| Kennesaw State (associate HC)
Career highlights
As player:

* EuroLeague champion (1997)
* EuroLeague Final Four MVP (1997)
* EuroLeague assists leader (2000)
* EuroLeague steals leader (1998)
* 4× FIBA EuroStar (1996–1999)
* FIBA EuroStars MVP (1996)
* Italian Cup winner (1998)
* Greek League Hall of Fame (2022)
* 2× Greek League champion (1996, 1997)
* Greek Cup winner (1997)
* Greek League MVP (1997)
* Greek Cup Finals MVP (1997)
* French League champion (1995)
* French League Foreign Player's MVP (1995)
* 2x French All Star Game (1994, 1995)
* 2× Turkish League champion (1999, 2000)
* 2× Turkish Cup winner (1999, 2000)
* CBA champion (1992)
* CBA Playoff/Finals MVP (1992)
* All-CBA First Team (1992)
* All-CBA Second Team (1993)
* 2× CBA assists leader (1992, 1993)
* Second-team All-American – NABC (1988)
* Second-team Parade All-American (1984)
* McDonald's All American (1984)

Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

David Lee Rivers (born January 20, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. A 5’11”(1.80 m ) tall[1][2] point guard, he reached star status in the EuroLeague, mainly while playing with Olympiacos, under head coach Dušan Ivković. Rivers played 3 seasons in the NBA, one with the Los Angeles Lakers (1988–89) and two more with the Los Angeles Clippers (1989–90, 1991–92). He played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

## Early years

[edit]

Rivers grew up in Jersey City, and played high school basketball under Bob Hurley, at powerhouse St. Anthony High School. He contributed to the team winning three State Championships and became the school's first player to be invited to the McDonald's All-American Game (1984).

Rivers was teammates at St. Anthony with John Valentin.[3]

## College career

[edit]

Rivers accepted a basketball scholarship from the University of Notre Dame, to play under head coach Digger Phelps. As a freshman, he was named a starter at point guard. As a sophomore, he contributed to the team reaching the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

On August 24, 1986, before the start of the season, he was a passenger in a van being driven by former college teammate Ken Barlow, returning to an apartment they shared after working a summer job with a caterer business, when the vehicle overturned and went into a ditch, after trying to avoid an oncoming car. Barlow had minor cuts, but Rivers suffered a life-threatening 15-inch abdominal cut, that he was able to recover from to play in 32 college games that season.[4][5]

He was named the team's MVP for four consecutive seasons and was a team co-captain for three straight seasons. He received third-team All-American in 1986–87, and second-team honors in '87–88

He currently ranks fourth in school history, in scoring with 2,058 points, and second in Notre Dame history in assists (586). He also ranks second all-time in steals (201), and steals average (1.7 steals per game), second in games started (116), fourth in assists average (5.0 assists per game) and three-point field goal percentage (.406), ninth in games played (118), 11th all-time in three-point field goals made (67), and 13th in three-point field goals attempted (165). He was selected to the 1987 NCAA Championship All-Regional team. He earned four monograms while a member of the Fighting Irish.

## Professional playing career

[edit]

### National Basketball Association

[edit]

Rivers was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round (25th overall) of the 1988 NBA draft, after the player they were targeting (Brian Shaw), was selected one choice before.[6] As a rookie he played in 47 regular season games, averaging 2.9 points and 2.3 assists per game, and 6 playoff games, averaging 2.5 points and 1 assist per game. The team eventually lost in the NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons.

Rivers was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1989 NBA expansion draft.[7] He was released before the start of the regular season on November 2. On November 14, 1989, he signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Clippers. He played in 53 games (11 of them as a starter), averaging 4.2 points and 3 assists per contest. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

On September 18, 1990, he signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs.[8] He was released on October 19.[9]

In 1990, he signed with the Tulsa Fast Breakers of the Continental Basketball Association. In December, he was placed in the injured reserve list with a sprained ankle.

On July 12, 1991, he was traded to the La Crosse Catbirds of the Continental Basketball Association, playing under coach Flip Saunders.[10] On November 23, he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, playing in 15 games before being released.[11] On January 7, 1992, he was released by the Los Angeles Clippers.[12] He returned to La Crosse and later was called up by Los Angeles Clippers, where he played 15 games of the 1991–1992 season. On December 17, he re-signed with La Crosse, where he won the league title.[13] He averaged 27.1 points and 9.6 assists during the finals and received MVP honors.[14] He was selected to the All-CBA First Team in 1992 and Second Team in 1993.[15]

### Europe

[edit]

In 1993, he signed with Olympique Antibes of the LNB Pro A French League, where he played 2 seasons, winning the Championship in 1995.

In 1995, he signed with Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League, winning the title in 1996. In 1996–1997, he contributed to the team winning the Greek Basketball Cup, the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague (the second time a Greek club won the trophy[16]), where he faced FC Barcelona Bàsquet and was named EuroLeague Final Four MVP, averaging 27 points per game in the two Final Four games in Rome. During that season, Rivers averaged 17.2 points, 3.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.0 steals in 37.9 minutes per game in 23 games played in the EuroLeague. At that stage of his career, he was considered one of the best basketball players in Europe [citation needed]. He is remembered as a legend by Olympiacos fans and he is widely considered one of the greatest players in Olympiacos history.[17][18] He was also named the European Player of the Year in 1997, making him the first American ever to receive European Basketball's highest honor.

In the 1997 off-season, Rivers left Olympiacos to join Italian League club Teamsystem Bologna, playing alongside former NBA All-star Dominique Wilkins. He averaged 12.8 points, 3.3 assists per game and contributed to the team winning the Italian Basketball Cup, receiving Co-MVP honors with teammate Carlton Myers.

In 1998, he signed with Tofaş of the Turkish League, where he won two Turkish League championships and two Turkish Cups, before re-joining Olympiacos for one season.[19]

In 2000, he returned to play with Olympiacos B.C., contributing to the team reaching the Greek Basket League Championship game, where it lost to Panathinaikos B.C.

Although he didn't play for 2 years, he then signed with Olympique Antibes for the 2003–04 season in the second division of the LNB Pro A French League. In 2013, he was inducted into the Olympique Antibes Basketball Club Hall of Fame and had his jersey number retired.

## Personal life

[edit]

In 2009, he was hired as a coach by Virtus Bologna of the Lega Basket Serie A, to assist in the development of junior players that season. On April 22, 2014, he was hired as an associate head coach for the Kennesaw State Owls.[20] He is a director at Village Camps Basketball Camps in Switzerland.

On Monday, April 15, 2024, YouTuber, WHAT THE HALE$, posted a $1,000 abandoned storage unit video where he was invited by two fans, now known as TDK COLLECTS, to explore a 20 year old storage unit formerly owned by Rivers[21]

## Career achievements

[edit]

### Club titles

[edit]

* CBA: 1 (with La Crosse Catbirds: 1991–92)
* French League: 1 (with Olympique Antibes: 1994–95)
* Greek League: 2 (with Olympiacos: 1995–96, 1996–97)
* Greek Cup: 1 (with Olympiacos: 1996–97)
* EuroLeague: 1 (with Olympiacos: 1996–97)
* Italian Cup: 1 (with Fortitudo Bologna: 1997–98)
* Turkish League: 2 (with Tofaş: 1998–99, 1999–00)
* Turkish Cup: 2 (with Tofaş: 1998–99, 1999–00)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ RIVERS, DAVID HEIGHT: 1.88.
2. ^ "David Rivers Altezza: 188 cm". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
3. ^ Horgan, Sean (March 15, 1992). "Valentin Knows what to Do in Short Time He's Given". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
4. ^ "Irish's Rivers, Hawks' Barlow hurt in auto crash". The Atlanta Constitution. August 25, 1988. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
5. ^ "1988 NBA DRAFT : Lakers Make David Rivers the Last of the First". Los Angeles Times. June 28, 1988. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
6. ^ "1988 NBA DRAFT : Lakers Make David Rivers the Last of the First". Los Angeles Times. June 29, 1988. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
7. ^ "Expansion claims top 'Bad Boy'". UPI. June 15, 1989. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
8. ^ "Transactions". The Baltimore Sun. September 19, 1990. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
9. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. October 20, 1990. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
10. ^ "Transactions". The Daily Oklahoman. July 13, 1991. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
11. ^ "Transactions". The Baltimore Sun. November 24, 1991. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
12. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. January 8, 1992. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
13. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. December 18, 1992. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
14. ^ "La Crosse wins CBA title". UPI. April 23, 1992. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
15. ^ "David Rivers minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
16. ^ "Champions – Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL". October 3, 2024.
17. ^ Club Legend: David Rivers, Olympiacos Piraeus, euroleague.net
18. ^ David Lee Rivers Olympiacos Piraeus BC
19. ^ "BASKET : Turkiye Basketbol Haberlesme Listesi: [BASKET:28121] Tofas段n 26 yillik tarihi" (in Turkish). Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2007.
20. ^ "MBB: Rivers Named Associate head coach of Men's Basketball Program". Los Angeles Times. June 17, 1986. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
21. ^ "I Bought a Millionaire Nba Player's Storage Unit". YouTube. April 15, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* FIBA Europe profile
* Euroleague.net profile
* Italian League Profile Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine (in Italian)
* TBLStat.net Profile

Links to related articles

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* e

1988 NBA draft

First round|

* Danny Manning
* Rik Smits
* Charles Smith
* Chris Morris
* Mitch Richmond
* Hersey Hawkins
* Tim Perry
* Rex Chapman
* Rony Seikaly
* Willie Anderson
* Will Perdue
* Harvey Grant
* Jeff Grayer
* Dan Majerle
* Gary Grant
* Derrick Chievous
* Eric Leckner
* Ricky Berry
* Rod Strickland
* Kevin Edwards
* Mark Bryant
* Randolph Keys
* Jerome Lane
* Brian Shaw
* David Rivers

Second round|

* Rolando Ferreira
* Shelton Jones
* Andrew Lang
* Vinny Del Negro
* Fennis Dembo
* Everette Stephens
* Charles Shackleford
* Grant Long
* Tom Tolbert
* Sylvester Gray
* Ledell Eackles
* Greg Butler
* Dean Garrett
* Tito Horford
* Orlando Graham
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* Jeff Moe
* Todd Mitchell
* Anthony Taylor
* Tom Garrick
* Morlon Wiley
* Vernon Maxwell
* Micheal Williams
* José Vargas
* Steve Kerr

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LNB Élite Most Valuable Player

Player of the Year|

* 1963: Degros
* 1965: Gilles
* 1966: Le Ray
* 1967: Gilles
* 1968: Gilles
* 1973: Galle
* 1974: Galle

French Domestic MVP|

* 1983: Szanyiel
* 1984: Dubuisson
* 1985: Dacoury
* 1986: Ostrowski
* 1987: Hufnagel
* 1988: Ostrowski
* 1989: Ostrowski
* 1990: Ostrowski
* 1991: Rigaudeau
* 1992: Rigaudeau
* 1993: Rigaudeau
* 1994: Rigaudeau
* 1995: Bonato
* 1996: Rigaudeau
* 1997: Bonato & Bilba
* 1998: Bilba & Digbeu
* 1999: Foirest
* 2000: Sonko
* 2001: Bilba
* 2002: Julian
* 2003: Diaw & Sciarra
* 2004: Foirest
* 2005: Sciarra
* 2006: Julian
* 2007: Julian
* 2008: de Colo
* 2009: Koffi
* 2010: Traoré
* 2011: Gelabale
* 2012: Causeur
* 2013: Jackson
* 2014: Diot

Foreign MVP|

* 1983: Murphy
* 1984: Murphy
* 1985: Murphy
* 1986: Figaro
* 1987: Varner
* 1988: Collins
* 1989: Collins
* 1990: Collins
* 1991: Brooks
* 1992: Brooks
* 1993: Young
* 1994: Young
* 1995: Rivers
* 1996: Rudd
* 1997: Rudd
* 1998: McCullough
* 1999: Jennings
* 2000: Brown
* 2001: Edwards
* 2002: Esteller & Dorsey
* 2003: Hill & Lukovski
* 2004: Hughes
* 2005: Guice
* 2006: Rowe
* 2007: Spencer
* 2008: Salyers
* 2009: Nichols
* 2010: Greer
* 2011: Mejía
* 2012: Schilb
* 2013: Buycks
* 2014: Falker

Unified MVP|

* 2015: Moerman
* 2016: Booker
* 2017: Cooper
* 2018: Peacock
* 2019: Holston
* 2020: N/A
* 2021: Colson
* 2022: Cummings
* 2023: Wembanyama
* 2024: Shorts
* 2025: Shorts

* v
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* e

Olympiacos B.C. 1996–97 FIBA EuroLeague champions

* 4 Bakatsias
* 5 Sigalas
* 7 Papanikolaou
* 8 Galakteros
* 9 Nakić
* 10 Fasoulas
* 11 Tomić
* 12 Tarlać
* 13 Welp
* 14 Savrasenko
* 15 Rivers (Final Four MVP)
* Zourpenko
* Coach: Ivković

* v
* t
* e

Olympiacos B.C.

* Players
* Coaches
* Development team

History|

* 3× EuroLeague Champions: (1997 EuroLeague Champions, 2012 EuroLeague Champions & 2013 EuroLeague Champions Back-to-Back)
* 6× EuroLeague Runners-up: (1994, 1995, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2023)
* 14× EuroLeague Final Four: (1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
* 2013 FIBA Intercontinental Cup Champions
* 1997 McDonald's Championship Runners-up against the Chicago Bulls
* 1997 Triple Crown Winners
* 15 Greek Championships
* 12 Greek Cups
* 3 Greek Super Cups
* 6 Domestic Doubles
* 1 Domestic Treble
* In International Competitions
* Seasons

Presidents|

* Giorgos Angelopoulos
* Panagiotis Angelopoulos

Arenas|

* Peace and Friendship Stadium (1991–2001, 2004–present)
* Glyfada Makis Liougas Sportshall (2001–02)
* Korydallos Sports Hall (2002–2004)

FIBA Hall of Famers|

* Panos Fasoulas
* Dušan Ivković
* Fabricio Oberto
* Sasha Volkov

FIBA Hall of Fame Candidates|

* Žarko Paspalj
* Artūras Karnišovas
* Arvydas Macijauskas
* Dino Rađja
* David Blatt

FIBA's 50 Greatest Players|

* Dino Rađja
* Sasha Volkov

FIBA Europe Player of the Year|

* Miloš Teodosić

EuroLeague MVPs|

* Miloš Teodosić
* Vassilis Spanoulis
* Sasha Vezenkov

EuroLeague Final Four MVPs|

* Žarko Paspalj
* David Rivers
* Vassilis Spanoulis (2×)

EuroLeague Coaches of the Year|

* Dušan Ivković
* Georgios Bartzokas (3×)

50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors|

* Dino Rađja
* Theo Papaloukas
* Dušan Ivković
* Pini Gershon

EuroLeague Basketball Legends|

* Theo Papaloukas
* Dušan Ivković
* Vassilis Spanoulis
* Nikola Vujčić

Greek League Hall of Famers|

* Walter Berry
* Panos Fasoulas
* Alphonso Ford
* Giannis Ioannidis
* Dušan Ivković
* Angelos Koronios
* Nikos Oikonomou
* Theo Papaloukas
* Žarko Paspalj
* Georgios Printezis
* Dino Rađja
* David Rivers
* Sofoklis Schortsanitis
* Vassilis Spanoulis
* Roy Tarpley

Rivalries|

* Panathinaikos rivalry

Related|

* Olympiacos Women's Basketball
* Hymn of Olympiacos
* Gate 7 Tragedy

Academies|

* Peace and Friendship Stadium Training Facility

Ownership|

* Giorgos Angelopoulos
* Panagiotis Angelopoulos

Parent club
Olympiacos C.F.P.
Website
olympiacosbc.gr

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EuroLeague Finals Top Scorer

Pre Final Four era
(1958–1987)|

* 1958: Krūmiņš
* 1959: Krūmiņš
* 1960: Krūmiņš
* 1961: Zubkov
* 1962: Hightower
* 1963: Rodríguez
* 1964: Rodríguez
* 1965: Luyk
* 1966: Zídek Sr.
* 1967: Chubin
* 1968: Aiken
* 1969: Andreev
* 1970: Belov
* 1971: Belov
* 1972: Skansi
* 1973: Belov
* 1974: Meneghin
* 1975: Morse
* 1976: Morse
* 1977: Boatwright
* 1978: Szczerbiak
* 1979: Varajić
* 1980: Williams
* 1981: Bonamico
* 1982: Flowers
* 1983: Riva
* 1984: San Epifanio "Epi"
* 1985: Petrović
* 1986: Sabonis
* 1987: Johnson

Final Four era
(1988–present)|

* 1988: McAdoo
* 1989: Jamchi
* 1990: Kukoč
* 1991: Savić
* 1992: Danilović
* 1993: Teagle
* 1994: Martínez
* 1995: Sabonis
* 1996: Karnišovas
* 1997: Rivers
* 1998: Rigaudeau
* 1999: Rigaudeau
* 2000: Huffman
* 2001: Ginóbili & Bennett & Alexander (EuroLeague) / Bodiroga (SuproLeague)
* 2002: Ginóbili
* 2003: Bodiroga
* 2004: Parker & Vujanić
* 2005: Jasikevičius
* 2006: Solomon
* 2007: Papaloukas
* 2008: Bynum
* 2009: Holden
* 2010: Navarro
* 2011: Batiste
* 2012: Papanikolaou
* 2013: Spanoulis
* 2014: Rice
* 2015: Lojeski
* 2016: de Colo
* 2017: Bogdanović & Kalinić
* 2018: Melli
* 2019: Larkin
* 2020: N/A
* 2021: Micić
* 2022: Micić
* 2023: Vezenkov
* 2024: Sloukas
* 2025: Hayes-Davis

* v
* t
* e

EuroLeague Final Four MVP Award

* 1988: McAdoo
* 1989: Rađja
* 1990: Kukoč
* 1991: Kukoč
* 1992: Danilović
* 1993: Kukoč
* 1994: Paspalj
* 1995: Sabonis
* 1996: Wilkins
* 1997: Rivers
* 1998: Savić
* 1999: Edney
* 2000: Rebrača
* 2001: Ginóbili (EuroLeague) & McDonald (SuproLeague)
* 2002: Bodiroga
* 2003: Bodiroga
* 2004: Parker
* 2005: Jasikevičius
* 2006: Papaloukas
* 2007: Diamantidis
* 2008: Langdon
* 2009: Spanoulis
* 2010: Navarro
* 2011: Diamantidis
* 2012: Spanoulis
* 2013: Spanoulis
* 2014: Rice
* 2015: Nocioni
* 2016: de Colo
* 2017: Udoh
* 2018: Dončić
* 2019: Clyburn
* 2020: N/A
* 2021: Micić
* 2022: Micić
* 2023: Tavares
* 2024: Sloukas
* 2025: Hayes-Davis

* v
* t
* e

Greek Cup Finals MVP

* 1995: Prelević
* 1996: Wilkins
* 1997: Rivers
* 1998: Liadelis
* 1999: Berry
* 2000: Rebrača
* 2001: Kutluay
* 2002: Ford
* 2003: Alvertis
* 2004: Kommatos
* 2005: Lakovič
* 2006: Tsartsaris
* 2007: Tsartsaris
* 2008: Tsartsaris
* 2009: Diamantidis
* 2010: Teodosić
* 2011: Teodosić
* 2012: Jasikevičius
* 2013: Ukić
* 2014: Curry
* 2015: Mavrokefalidis
* 2016: Diamantidis
* 2017: Feldeine
* 2018: Harris
* 2019: Calathes
* 2020: Zisis
* 2021: Papapetrou
* 2022: Dorsey
* 2023: Vezenkov
* 2024: Fall

* v
* t
* e

Greek Basketball League MVP Award

* 1988: Galis
* 1989: Galis
* 1990: Galis
* 1991: Galis
* 1992: Galis
* 1993: Christodoulou
* 1994: Fasoulas
* 1995: Fasoulas
* 1996: Sigalas
* 1997: Rivers
* 1998: Stojaković
* 1999: Bodiroga
* 2000: Rebrača
* 2001: Ford
* 2002: Dikoudis
* 2003: Alvertis
* 2004: Diamantidis
* 2005: Spanoulis
* 2006: Diamantidis & Spanoulis
* 2007: Diamantidis
* 2008: Diamantidis
* 2009: Spanoulis
* 2010: Batiste
* 2011: Diamantidis
* 2012: Spanoulis
* 2013: Lasme
* 2014: Diamantidis
* 2015: Vezenkov
* 2016: Spanoulis
* 2017: Calathes
* 2018: Calathes
* 2019: Calathes
* 2021: Papapetrou
* 2022: Vezenkov
* 2023: Vezenkov
* 2024: Sloukas

* v
* t
* e

Greek Basketball League Hall of Fame

Players|

* Alvertis
* Batiste
* Berry
* Bodiroga
* Bourousis
* Chatzivrettas
* Christodoulou
* Diamantidis
* Dikoudis
* Fasoulas
* Ford
* Fotsis
* Galis
* Giannakis
* Korfas
* Koronios
* Oikonomou
* Papaloukas
* Paspalj
* Prelević
* Printezis
* Rađja
* Rentzias
* Rivers
* Savić
* Schortsanitis
* Spanoulis
* Stojaković
* Tarpley
* Vranković
* Wilkins
* Zisis

Coaches|

* Ioannidis
* Ivković
* Markopoulos
* Obradović

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