Through minimal fault of his own, Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving has become one of the most polarizing players in the NBA. A major factor in the creation of this narrative was a messy departure from the Boston Celtics after failing to bring a ton of postseason success to Beantown.
Kyrie frequently saved some of his best performances for his matchups against those same Celtics, as evidenced by how he put up 40 points on just 23 shots while leading the Nets to a 121-109 victory in their first game of the second half. Irving later gave his old teammates some respect with some hugs in the aftermath.
Irving has often had a problem with what he feels is the media creating a narrative around him that states he is a bad teammate or a difficult personality. Kyrie hopes that the respect he still has in Boston goes some way towards shattering that narrative.
Irving hit back at how he believes he has been unfairly represented, pointing out that the relationships he has maintained in Boston prove the hype of leader and locker-room presence he actually is.
Kyrie Irving on hugging his old Celtics teammates after the game: "Big surprise huh? All that shit-talking about me and my former teammates."
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) March 12, 2021
Nets star Kyrie Irving pushed back at the media-created narrative.
No one can come at Irving for what he is doing or has done on the basketball court. He’s averaging a career-high 27.7 points per game this year despite being a third option behind Kevin Durant and James Harden some nights. Irving is shooting 51% from the floor and 42% from 3-point range.
What the media often does come at Irving for is his occasionally brash nature in interactions with them, which has formed a very adversarial relationship. However, considering how he is the VP of the players union, it’s clear that the players think highly of him.
Irving’s altruistic and philanthropic side, evidenced by the fact he bought a new house for the family of George Floyd and helped students at HBCUs pay for college, also deserves nothing but the highest praise. With minimal ground left to stand on, it’s clear to see why Kyrie gets so frustrated.
This narrative might not die down as easy as Irving wants it to, unfortunately. The best course of action for him would be to simply keep his head down, continuing to put up some of the best offensive numbers of his career, and make the media haters slip away into the night when they run out of arrows to sling.