A lot of people have been talking about Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets over the last year – but not always because of his basketball skills.
In fact, most headlines about Irving have been about his unique opinions about the world, his unreliability, and his steadfast stance related to the COVID-19 vaccine.
All of this has cast Irving in a rather bad light and has made him seem like a conspiracy theorist who can’t be counted on when his team needs him most.
Kyrie Irving on if he was close to leaving the Brooklyn Nets in the offseason: “Yeah. There were options but not many because the stigma of whether or not I wanted to play or whether or not I’m committed to the team, which I thought was really unfair at times.” pic.twitter.com/3YA16wZucg
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) September 26, 2022
Speaking to the press during the team’s media day, Irving opened up about the possibility of him leaving the Nets during the last few months.
Irving was honest when asked if there was a chance he would have departed from Brooklyn:
“Yeah. There were options but not many because the stigma of whether or not I wanted to play or whether or not I’m committed to the team, which I thought was really unfair at times.”
Irving admitted that not many teams wanted to take him on because of “stigma” around him due to his personality and his own personal views.
Does this mean that he will change his ways in the season ahead of will he remain to be the same man he has been for years?
Irving’s Issues
The truth is that if a team signs Irving, they are agreeing to both his contract and the controversies that follow him.
That cannot be avoided and at this point is just part of the package deal.
However, this should never overshadow the fact that Irving is a terrific ball player, and one of the greatest guards in the league.
But he would likely be considered even better if every story about him didn’t have to include the baggage that he brought.
Still, it’s unlikely Irving will ever truly change his ways – he is who he is.
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