There hasn’t been a lot of time in the NBA in recent years without some controversy or the other involving Kyrie Irving. The enigmatic point guard is one of the league’s most skilled players, but that’s just not what most people are talking about when it comes to him. Irving missed serious time last season thanks to his stance against the COVID-19 vaccination, and there is a new controversy at the start of this season.
Irving, who was recently praised by the mercurial and controversial Kanye West, came under fire for making social media posts linking to a film that is considered anti-semitic. This saw him get called out by numerous people, and it also resulted in several questions for him at press conferences. His response to it was getting into a heated debate with a reporter.
“I just put things out there just like you put things out there,” he added. “You put things out there for a living. Let’s move on. Let’s move on. Don’t dehumanize me up here. I can post whatever I want, so say that, and shut it down and move on to the next question.”
“I don’t have to understand anything from you,” a visibly upset Irving said. “Move on, next question. Do you guys have any more questions? This is gonna be a clip that he’s gonna marvel at.”
This exchange showed that Kyrie is quite combative about this stance, adding to an already tense situation for the Nets. And former NBA player Raja Bell has now also given his two cents on the situation.
Raja Bell Offered Kyrie Irving’s Teammates’ Perspectives As An Example Of How His Controversy Is Affecting The Team
While Steve Nash has claimed that it doesn’t make much difference to the Nets, there is some reaction that will come off of Kyrie getting embroiled in all this. And speaking on his podcast, The Ringer NBA Show, former player Raja Bell addressed the situation from a different angle.
“He’s a brilliant basketball player, but he doesn’t really care. He just does what he does, with no concern with how it’s gonna reverberate around the organization or what the ramifications will be for the people that have to answer the questions for him every day.
“Why do I have to get up there? I don’t wanna go in on a Monday as Joe Harris — I had a great weekend. I didn’t do sh*t. I was enjoying my time, trying to get healthy, ready to play some ball — and here I go; gotta answer antisemitic questions about Kyrie Irving.”
It is bound to get frustrating for his fellow players, especially considering how poorly the Nets have started. The lack of chemistry last season was thanks to issues like these, and it now remains to be seen how this particular saga will play out for Kyrie and his team.
