During a conversation with NBA journalist Landon Buford, Suns star Kevin Durant opened up on his former teammate, Kyrie Irving. Durant lauded Irving’s improvements as a player and spoke on the strides that he’s made both on and off the court.
“I always thought Kyrie was a master-level player, it’s been like that the last ten years,” said Durant. “I feel like he probably will never say this because he’s such a humble player, humble person, I just think he’s a complete player. There’s no weakness or no holes in his game physically or mentally. I feel like his approach to the game is perfect for what you need as a team. So, I think if you keep showing up every day and keep adding to his greatness, his legacy, and he’s going to help out the Mavs as much as he can.”
Kyrie Irving was a controversial player back in the day for wild conspiracy theories, questionable quotes, and backing out of verbal promises. During the COVID-19, he faced heavy a backlash crisis for turning his back on the Nets by refusing to accept the vaccine. He was withheld from games and his antics led to a complete collapse of the Nets’ locker room. Kevin Durant was there to witness it all and he still defends the veteran point guard to this day.
Durant and Irving were friends first before becoming teammates in 2019. They joined forces on the Brooklyn Nets and spent a few years there trying to bring the franchise to prominence. Sadly, before they could make a successful playoff run, the pair had a falling out with the front office and forced their way out in the same season.
Kevin Durant has been with the Phoenix Suns ever since and he’s having more success with Booker than he did with Irving back in the day. Even so, the 2x champion harbors no resentment for his former teammate even after all the chaos he caused in Brooklyn.
With his reputation destroyed and his legacy compromised, Kyrie Irving joined the Dallas Mavericks at his lowest point and they were one of the few teams left still willing to make him a long-term commitment. When he joined forces with Luka Doncic, Irving was deemed unreliable and unpredictable by most of the fanbase.
Over the years, however, he’s played his way back into the fan’s good graces. This season, with averages of 23.0 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game on 49.6% shooting, Kyrie is once again proving himself as an elite-level guard who can do it all offensively.
As arguably the best ball-handler and shot creator in the NBA, Irving’s game requires special attention from defenders and alongside Luka Doncic, it has opened up a whole new world of opportunities for the Mavericks. Fresh off an appearance in the NBA Finals, the Mavericks are feeling more confident than ever about their chances to make a run and now they have Klay Thompson to help tip the odds in their favor.
With one title in the books and a Hall of Fame career, Kyrie Irving has nothing left to prove in the NBA but his story is one of total redemption and this season is the perfect opportunity for him to stick it to the haters by completing another title run.
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