"The house was a mess": Doc Rivers hysterically reveals details of Dennis Rodman babysitting his kids during Spurs stint

Former NBA player and coach Doc Rivers and NBA legend Dennis Rodman
Former NBA player and coach Doc Rivers and NBA legend Dennis Rodman

Dennis Rodman may be the last person most people would trust babysitting their children. However, Doc Rivers once gave the erratic NBA legend a chance to do so, resulting in a memorable story.

During Wednesday’s Sacramento Kings vs. LA Lakers ESPN broadcast, Rivers, who transitioned from coaching to commentating this season, shared his humorous Rodman babysitting story.

Rivers said that when he and Rodman were teammates on the San Antonio Spurs (1994-95 season), he wanted to go out but had no babysitter. So he allowed the five-time NBA champion to babysit his children, including now-NBA free agent guard Austin Rivers:

“It was a one-time thing, but when I was in San Antonio, I wanted to go out and we used Dennis Rodman for one night babysitting Austin, which explains Austin and some of our kids,” Rivers said.
“I don’t know if I’m [the] parent of the year or the worst parent.”

Rivers was asked by his broadcast partner, Dave Pasch, why he asked Rodman of all people to babysit his children.

Rivers said that Rodman was the one who offered up his services first. He added that he was impressed with Rodman’s babysitting skills, but his house was a mess when he got home:

“He was over at the house, and he actually said, ‘Hey, I can do that, I love babysitting,’” Rivers said. “And he did it, he did a great job. [But] the house was a mess.”

As Rivers pointed out, Rodman babysitting his children ended up being a one-time occurrence. Nonetheless, it was an experience Rivers likely won’t ever forget.


Doc Rivers attributes relationship with James Harden as reason for becoming a commentator

Former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers and former Sixers star guard James Harden
Former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers and former Sixers star guard James Harden

As for Doc Rivers’ decision to commentate this season after 24 years of coaching, he touched on it during an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” last month.

Rivers joked that his rocky relationship with star guard James Harden on the Philadelphia 76ers last season is probably the reason why he’s a commentator:

“You know what was funny about our relationship? It was an honest one, I'll tell you that,” Rivers said. “It's probably why I'm doing TV right now.”

(1:53 mark below)

Rivers was fired in May after the Sixers flamed out in the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third straight season. Many expected him to join another contender during the offseason.

However, it appears that Rivers will be taking things easy moving forward, instead sharing his extensive knowledge and experience with fans from the broadcasting booth.


Also Read: Doc Rivers might never coach again - "I'm just gonna enjoy life"

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