Austin Rivers is ending his Off Guard show after several years, and in the process has initiated an interesting conversation about whether hosting a podcast gets in the way of retired athletes’ larger aspirations after their playing careers are over.
In a video posted to his X account, Rivers announced the end of the show, which comes in the middle of Rivers’ first season working for the NBA on NBC team. Rivers said he is ending the show because he sees it as a “conflict of interest” that was getting in the way of his ability to develop relationships around the league as a game broadcaster.
“I’m trying to excel in the space of color commentary for NBC and Peacock and for the NBA, and trying to continue to build my relationships with front offices and coaches,” Rivers explained. “These are individuals who I’ve got to work with on a weekly basis, and me having a podcast can only hinder that.”
“The podcast space itself, especially related to sports and basketball, can tend to be toxic. And me just having a hot take can come off as disrespect toward an individual or a franchise or an agent, and that’s not really what I’m about at all. Nor does it accurately reflect my actual respect for that individual or franchise.”
PSA. Focusing on basketball purity 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/47tA8jQaEv
— Austin Rivers (@AustinRivers25) January 26, 2026
Rivers expressed a hope that he can follow the post-playing career path of his father, Doc Rivers, who has worked as a head coach, executive and game analyst since hanging up his sneakers in the late 1990s.
While Rivers is focused on his color commentary work as part of Peacock’s On the Bench broadcasts this season, he hinted at pursuing a role in a front office in the future. In both cases, Rivers believes that the messy, smack-talking tone of podcasting gets in the way of his future goals.
“I’ve found myself several times this year where I’ve taken an opinion or I’d say something … and although it would go viral and do well and my podcast is doing great, when I would show up to work to call a game, I would see that person … and the energy would be different,” Rivers explained.
“I’m not about to ruin or hinder any relationships because of a podcast. I’ve enjoyed doing it, I love doing it. I now get to enjoy other guys who have their podcast. That’s great. They don’t have to wake up and go call a game in the NBA and work with these execs and coaches.”
On multiple occasions this season, Rivers has made news with strong takes criticizing teams. In December, Rivers questioned why the Miami Heat routinely miss out on the star players they pursue. A few weeks later, he called Golden State’s handling of underused young forward Jonathan Kuminga “bullsh*t.”
While neither was all that inflammatory, the nature of Rivers’ commentary on his podcast is indeed far different from what a fan might hear him say if they tune into a game. And while Rivers said he never thought of Off Guard as a place to “spread hate” or talk trash, he wants to put his best foot forward covering the game as purely as possible.
“My eye for the game, my knowledge for the game is what I want to excel in. Not me being a podcaster speaking on a mic and just yelling out, spewing out stuff,” he added. “Although entertaining, although it brings in money and attention and all these other things, I don’t care about any of that.”
Rivers added that he hopes to relaunch his “Eye for the Game” YouTube series, breaking down Xs and Os with former and current players, as he moves away from podcasting.