This duo will never work they said Mavs aren’t making the playoffs they said Luka Doncic will ask out they said Kyrie Irving will cause turmoil they said Crickets…
Kyrie Irving, brutally honest about previous critics: "I didn’t want to be the butt of anyone’s joke"
NBAFriday, 19 April 2024 at 05:00
Dallas Mavericks' superstar, Kyrie Irving, opened up about the amount of criticism he has received throughout the last couple of years in a recent interview. The ultra talented point guard enjoys a healthy and succesful present alongside Luka Doncic and the rest of the team in Dallas, chasing the dream of becoming one more time, an NBA champion.
Kyrie Irving has been one of the most controversial players over the last few years. Since he left the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2018, Irving struggled to find a place where he felt comfortable. Now, he seems way more relaxed being with the Mavericks. He's a 13-year veteran who knows how to focus on what he needs to. After Thursday's practice, an authentic Kyrie shared his thoughts about the amount of criticism that he's faced from the media:
“I think if you look at some of the guys on our team, we've dealt with a lot of naysayers, a lot of critics, a lot of noise,” Irving said. “Just like other teams, but I think specifically with us. Somehow I was called a chaos agent for a little bit. And there was this narrative that I’m a locker room cancer. I didn’t want to be the butt of anyone’s joke. I don’t mind being the butt of anyone’s joke, but not at the expense or consequence of my teammates success and our success as an organization.
“I've just taken a lot of hits, learned how to hit back. Learned how to protect myself. Learned how to protect my bothers and my sisters. Keep the main thing the main thing.”
Irving was also asked about how he felt about the new Team USA, and this is what he answered:
"I wish my brothers well. I just didn’t fit in to this team. I think the timing’s a little bit different now. I kind of miss those days of just being able to get everybody together, break bread and then compete against one another. And then the deliberation process happens at the end of like the four days or five-day process even though people know who’s going to be on the team. I missed that fun part of it of just getting together, but I just wish my brothers well.”
Luckily for Kyrie and for all the basketball fans around the world, that constant noise that surrounded him for a while is now silenced. It took some time but he and Doncic have bonded and formed a phenomenal duo that took the league by storm throughout the second half of their first full season together.
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