Kyrie Irving’s absence and return to the Brooklyn Nets was one of the biggest stories before and during the first months of the 2021/22 NBA season. The talented point guard refused to take the covid-19 vaccine, which prompted the Nets to ban him from any basketball activity until he got the shot.
Shaquille O’Neal was one of Kyrie’s biggest critics, as he constantly asked the Nets to trade Irving away if he didn’t want to get the vaccine. Shaq called out Kyrie for not making sacrifices while the rest of the team did, as they try to win the NBA championship this year.
“It’s all about sacrifice. How can you have a championship team when one of your main guys don’t want to sacrifice?”
Once the Nets announced they would allow Kyrie to play with them in road games, the Big Diesel wasn’t happy with that. He once again attacked them for acting like they’re a bad team just to welcome Kyrie back.
“They panicked for no reason. They sound like they are No. 7 in the league. You in first place, dummies. You don’t need him.”
Now, with Kyrie’s return taking place tonight, the 4x NBA champion hasn’t forgotten about that situation and shared a Michael Jordan meme on Instagram to mock Irving’s return to the floor. Shaq reposted an NBA Memes pic on his Instagram stories, perfectly explaining how we think Kyrie reacted to being allowed to be a part-time player.
Like it or not, his addition is a major boost for the Nets, even if it’s only in road games. Irving is a terrific talent that can provide a lot to the team. It’ll be interesting to see how much time it takes for him to find his rhythm after missing the first two months of competition.
The Nets visit the Indiana Pacers tonight, and Kyrie is expected to make his long-awaited return to the floor. It would be crazy to see him going for 30+ tonight, but Steve Nash and co. would like to see some flashes of what this player will provide once he catches up with the rest of the team.
