Austin Rivers handles the ball for the Rockets at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix on Feb. 7, 2020. Credit: Getty Images/Christian Petersen
It was one last glitch in 2020 that had Austin Rivers speaking to the media Thursday morning, announcing that he would play for the Knicks in a New Year's Eve contest against the Raptors thousands of miles south of New York City or Toronto.
Rivers, who has been dealing with a groin injury, was upgraded to probable for the game, putting him in the unlikely setting of making his debut without ever actually having spent time on the court with his new teammates.