Kyrie Irving is as controversial a star in the NBA as can be found at the moment. While his quality on the court has never been questioned, it’s still regarded highly. It’s his behavior off the court that has raised concerns. Irving has been loud about his opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine, claiming his decision to not get it even cost him a contract that would have earned him upwards of $100 million.
It’s not just money that’s been the issue though, Irving’s opinions have earned him quite a bit of ridicule from multiple avenues. Fans have been his loudest critics, with those that don’t agree with him quickly making fun of how he sees things. More credible people in the basketball world have been outspoken about it too, though, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently going in on Kyrie completely.
Now, Kareem’s standing in the game cannot be questioned, he’s in the GOAT debate. However, his criticisms are not always taken well by the current generation of players. LeBron James recently revealed that he has no relationship with Abdul-Jabbar at all, with many speculating this might be because of Kareem’s past criticisms of the King.
Iman Shumpert Responds To Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Calling Kyrie Irving A Buffoon
It’s clear that while today’s players respect the greats from past eras, they don’t necessarily think they have to listen to them. And in a recent interview with Vlad TV, Irving’s former teammate Iman Shumpert was asked about Abdul-Jabbar’s comments. And perhaps, as can be expected, Shumpert essentially just dismissed them, implying that the current generation doesn’t have much to do with the NBA legend.
(starts at 00:56 minutes):
“So? F**k. What do Kareem saying… what is he thinking? Kareem probably done called me some crazy sh*t before. F**k, what? Like, we ain’t even get to play against Kareem. If he said something, it’s just like, bro, Kai ain’t hurting nobody, bro. He ain’t doing nothing wrong. He just believe what he believe, he gonna post what he post, and he said he ain’t taking the vaccine.”
This is an interesting take from Shumpert, it shows that current players don’t worry much about what the older generations have to say about them. Kevin Durant stepped in earlier to defend Kyrie Irving against Abdul-Jabbar too, so this does seem to be how it works for the current generation. One way or the other, Irving will continue to be himself, and Kareem will always call out people for things he doesn’t agree with.
