Gary Payton had some things to say about Kyrie Irving’s comments on Steve Nash last year. Ahead of the 2020/21 NBA season, the Brooklyn Nets point guard made questionable statements about Nash’s role as a head coach.
The 2016 NBA champion claimed that the Nets could have more than one coach, with him and Kevin Durant even taking the responsibility.
“I don’t really see us having a head coach,” Irving said. “You know what I mean? KD could be a head coach. I could be a head coach.”
At the time, these comments didn’t sit well with people, and one year later, they keep talking about it. Gary Payton, for instance, didn’t appreciate Kyrie disrespecting his head coach, calling him out in a recent interview. Talking on CBS’ sports podcast “Nothing Personal with David Samson,” The Glove said Irving should respect the coach (16:06).
“That’s just a shame right there.”
“I think that that was a bad statement by him. You should respect the coaches, you should respect the guys that have been put in those positions.
“And if you want to be that guy, if you were a guy that was my superstar, and you come to me, and you perform on the floor and do the things on the floor that you are supposed to, then I’m gonna bring you in on everything I’m gonna do, anyway. Because I wanna keep you happy and keep my team happy.”
Fortunately, Kyrie backtracked on his initial comments, saying he was wrong when he made those questionable statements.
“Steve’s been amazing,” Irving said. “He kind of commands the respect. I think I’ve got to take back my comments in terms of the head coach back a few months ago. But it’s just like, man, we have such a great synergy. Everyone feels like we’re coaching one another to be better, so I’m grateful for that.”
Still, Payton didn’t appreciate those comments and let Irving know how he felt about them. The Seattle Supersonics legend knows Nash very well and knows that a team needs to be in harmony to win a championship.
The Nets had some curious situation to fix last year, but now they’re drama-free and ready to enter a season where they will be championship favorites again. Nash and the Big 3 had a terrific relationship last year, but now it’s time to take that next step and win the title.
