How Rockets fans embraced Pat Beverley after trade to Clippers

Patrick Beverley explained how Houston Rockets fans continued to show him love after he became a member of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Patrick Beverley has the type of story that made him an instant favorite among Houston Rockets fans. Beverley wasn’t highly recruited coming out of high school in Chicago, as he initially signed to play for Toledo, before later de-committing and choosing Arkansas as his school of choice.

But Beverley didn’t last long in Fayetteville, as he parted ways with the Razorbacks after just two seasons. While it’s common for college basketball players to leave campus after a short timeframe, Beverley’s situation was a bit different. He didn’t leave school to go directly to the NBA, he left school and played overseas.

Beverley spent the following four seasons playing internationally, before getting noticed by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, allowing Beverley to finally fulfill his goal of playing in the NBA. Pat Bev made 37.5 percent of his triples as a rookie, and performed well enough to start in the postseason, where he averaged 11.8 points per game.

Beverley became a starter in each of his next four seasons with the Rockets, and averaged 10 points per game in each season, while becoming a steady 3-point shooter coupled with a grizzly defender. But the Rockets included Beverley in the 2018 trade that landed Chris Paul from the LA Clippers, while also sending Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams to Los Angeles.

For Beverley, the move was par for the course, as he chalked it up to the business of professional sports. He also didn’t realize the impact he made on Rockets fans until the trade, as he explained on the Knuckleheads podcast.

Beverley explains how Rockets fans remained supportive after being traded

“I didn’t notice how big I was on the Rockets until I left and came back. When I left and came back, I’m sitting there and I looked up and there was a tribute video.

And I was like, what, a tribute video? And I turned around and the whole crowd was standing up. And it hit me, I was like da-. I didn’t even know that.

I was just being myself. I was just going out there and doing what I had to do to try to win basketball games. I’m cool with being Robin, I knew who Batman was.”

It’s no surprise that the Rockets fanbase remained supportive of Beverley after his Houston career ended, as he was always willing to take on the opponent’s best offensive threat, despite being undersized and not the most athletic. At 6-foot-1, Beverley is shorter than most point guards across the league, and is much smaller than most shooting guards and forwards.

But Beverley is one of the most intense competitors in the NBA, as he never backed down from a challenge, which he credits to being raised in the crime-ridden streets of Chicago. Pat Bev went from an unheralded prep player to becoming a two-time All-Defensive selection during his days with the Houston Rockets.

As Beverley is on the revamped Clippers, he’s become a bit of a rival, and especially when the Clips face off against the Rockets. But no matter what, Rockets fans will always appreciate Beverley for the heart and effort he displayed here in the Space City.