Kyrie Irving was one of Stephen A. Smith’s favorites during the 2021-22 NBA season. The Brooklyn Nets superstar earned a lot of criticism for his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine, the way he managed himself after that and his statements regarding his decision and what he wanted to achieve with that.
Even after the Brooklyn Nets’ season ended with a sweep against the Boston Celtics, Stephen A. kept taking shots at Kyrie and he hasn’t forgotten about the player now. During a recent edition of Stephen A.’s World, the controversial analyst mocked Kyrie’s streams, saying he thought Irving would play video games like he plays basketball.
“That’s Kyrie Irving, mocking folk calling them cockroaches. Kyrie Irving, this week, while the postseason is in full swing. A postseason his team should still be playing in, based on the talent on their roster. Kyrie is out here complaining on Twitch about Celtics fans. Fans of the team that swept Brooklyn out of the playoffs.”
“Credit where it’s due. I’m happy to see that on Grand Theft Auto, Kyrie is, at least, up and running around. I thought he might play video games how he plays basketball, sitting there half the damn time doing absolutely nothing, letting his squad get taken out.”
“Soon enough, Kyrie is going to have to put down the controller, and decide if he’s going to opt-in to play for the Nets next season. A Nets team that is clearly expecting him now to actually play basketball, to earn his money.”
Irving isn’t the most beloved player in the NBA, and many people decided to blast him this season. Stephen A. was one of those, and he didn’t hesitate to call the 2016 NBA champion out. It looks hard for Irving to change the narrative about him right now, but he’s not worried about it. Still, the hate will keep coming and it’s unclear when it will stop.
