Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook are two of the best guards of the last decade, competing with each other over the years, which has led to both players respecting each other.
Westbrook gave Kyrie his flowers, mentioning that they worked out together in the summer and thanking him for always supporting him. Irving paid those compliments right back and reflected on his friendship with Russ and other veterans off the court.
Russell Westbrook: “He’s better this year. We actually worked out over the summer, several times. Just hearing his perspective and how he goes through his life is always interesting. I respect him for everything he stands for, especially his family things. Obviously, he’s a great basketball player and has done great things in the league. Mutural respect but I’m always thankful for him supporting me since I’ve been away.
Kyrie Irving: “I’m grateful that I have that respect but I think it’s started off the court with a lot of my peers because if you just look at their team, Kawhi is my draft class, PG is a year ahead. Russ is a few years ahead, I’ve been playing these guys for a very long time. We’ve had Team USA camps together, we’ve had series’ against each other, and been teammates with a few of the guys, I think you can see that we have less time left for playing than more, some of us, and the times that we get to compete against each other, we relish it. But off the court, we see each other in the summertime, always wishing well for their families. Always praying for them, so I appreciate the respect and it goes both ways.”
Russ and Kyrie are two greats from this era
Love to see the respect on both sides ❤️
(🎥 @ashtenjewell / @swishcultures_ ) pic.twitter.com/4fMC6jFiGa
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 26, 2023
Westbrook came into the league in 2009 with Irving following suit two years later in 2011. Irving never became an MVP candidate or winner in the league like Russ did, but both are extremely respected by players and fans for their incredible careers.
Kyrie averaged 23.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 6.5 assists in 19 games against Westbrook in his career, with Russ averaging 22.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 9.1 assists. Kyrie has had the edge in their games, boasting a 6-13 record, with Russ winning the last matchup with his Clippers last night over Irving’s Mavericks.
Kyrie Irving Is Respected Around The NBA
There has been a lot of media chatter around Irving in recent seasons, especially after his tenure with the Nets where he refused to play because of the COVID vaccine and was caught up in an anti-Semitic scandal as well. This led to Irving being heavily demonized for his words but didn’t seem to change how players and coaches around the league looked at him.
Irving is so skilled and works very hard on his skillset to continue playing at an All-Star caliber. With Westbrook sharing a supportive message for Irving, Mike Brown calling him the best pound-for-pound player in the NBA right now, and Kyrie’s known friendship and allegiance with LeBron James, it’s clear he still has way more supporters in the league than detractors.
Mark Cuban hasn’t had one bad thing to say about Irving as a team owner, which isn’t the case at Irving’s three previous stops. Luka Doncic and Jason Kidd advocated for Irving to be on the team before the traded for him last season, so it’s clear Irving has a lot of support and respect in the NBA. Westbrook’s recent comments are just another example of that.
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