Biography:It might sound strange for someone to say they’ve been playing basketball their whole life, but when asked when he got introduced to the game, Rocket Rivers says, “I guess at birth. My father played basketball his entire life, so it was only natural that my older brother and I adopted his passion for the game. When I was old enough to walk, my father began taking my brother and I to the gym with him, and we would watch his pick-up games for hours. He’s my idol, because he taught me how to be a man, stand up for what I believe in at all costs, and to follow my dreams to the fullest.”
Rocket also ran track growing up and was as talented at that sport as basketball, but he was more passionate about hoops. His high school junior varsity coach, Coach Jarrett, was the first coach that told him he had what it takes to be something special in basketball. He told Rocket that no one should ever be able to push him harder than he pushed himself, so Rocket advises kids, “Work as hard as you can every day, because you get no days back; and DON’T EVER LET ANYONE TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN OR CAN’T ACHIEVE. I’m living proof that you can do anything that you put your mind and heart to!”
Rocket took that attitude to Francis Marion University, where he was not only an accomplished basketball player, but a standout student. While leading his team in scoring, three-pointers made, and steals; and being named Defensive Player of the Year, he also made the Dean’s List five times, was on the Presidential Honor Roll twice, and was an Arthur Ashe Academic All-American Athlete, while completing a degree in Business Management. In a tournament following his final college season, he had 55 and 49-point games back-to-back.
His nickname is well earned. He was only 5-foot-6 when he dunked for the first time as a 14-year-old, and during Globetrotter games, you might just catch him bouncing the ball off the floor and finishing with a 360 dunk.
What does it mean to Rocket to be a Globetrotter? “It means that I have the opportunity to showcase to the world my love and passion for this game. It means that every day I wake up I can say I’m living my dream of being a professional basketball player. It also gives me a means through which I can give people a getaway and chance for complete happiness no matter what they’re going through in their everyday lives.”
Rocket's favorite Globetrotter move is one the team calls the "Diamond Cutter," when you form a diamond with your arms (with your hands at your forehead) and roll the ball around your arms and behind your head. "Big Easy Lofton was my roommate during my first training camp, and the first time I saw him do that, I knew I wanted to learn how. Big Easy taught me that and many other things."
Even though he’s realizing a dream, Rocket still works hard on his ball handling, shoots 250 to 500 shots per day and plays whenever he can.
A fan of the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Cowboys and North Carolina Tar Heels, Rocket loves listening to and writing music and says lasagna is one of his favorite foods. He also enjoys increasing his knowledge of automobiles, and when asked what his favorite flavor of ice cream is, he laughs, "All of them."
