Sixers' Doc Rivers Jokes About Reporters' Backgrounds on Zoom

NBA media availabilities are anything but typical these days. During a normal, non-COVID season, members of the Philadelphia 76ers beat would typically stand or sit in a crowded press conference room with the head coach sitting at a table front and center fielding questions.

But with the pandemic still playing a factor, media availabilities are held virtually over Zoom. Therefore, a notable portion of media members are working straight from home. Lately, members of the Sixers have been paying attention to more than just the questions the reporters ask.

Last week, 76ers veteran forward Tobias Harris called out a reporter for having a background set on Zoom that wasn't actually theirs. "Is that your background?" Harris asked back to a reporter before even acknowledging their basketball-related question. "That's not your background -- that's definitely not your background," he said as he busted out laughing.

This week, Doc Rivers called out multiple reporters for their backgrounds. On Wednesday night, just a couple of hours before the Sixers and the Houston Rockets tipped off, Rivers was getting ready to wrap up his pregame press conference when he observed somebody's background on Zoom.

You're Not in L.A. Anymore

After spending seven seasons out in Los Angeles, Rivers is now back on the East Coast dealing with the February cold once again. So, when he saw a media member's background, which displayed palm trees (real ones, not a Zoom backdrop), Rivers got a little jealous.

"Hey, where the hell are you with the palm trees behind you?" Rivers asked before taking on his final question. "That's bulls***," he said.

Working from Bed

Following the game on Wednesday night, Rivers once again hopped on Zoom to do a postgame press conference after the Sixers defeated the Houston Rockets. As he listened to a reporter's question, Rivers noticed that they might've been working from home -- and he couldn't help but question it.

Don’t sleep on the Sixers @jackfrank_jjf pic.twitter.com/kdLZkRyVM2
— The Wooderboys (@wooderboys) February 18, 2021

"Are you in bed right now?" Rivers asked mid-question. "I'm laying on my bed, yeah," the reporter responded. "Jesus Christ," Rivers said while chuckling before allowing the question to continue.

As I mentioned before, media availabilities have been quite strange this season. Still, at least players and the coaches are making the best out of it as we get through this abnormal season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_