In a stream on Twitch, Mavericks star Kyrie Irving had a lot to say about ex-NBA athletes in the media. According to Irving, they’ve lost their way by becoming too hypercritical of the modern game.
“They have lost their way,” said Irving. “I will say their names when I address them when I see them in person — but there are some former players that just talk sh*t. They don’t even talk about anything and just hate on the players. And then you have young players looking up these older players and we looked up to them. We valued their journies, we respected their journies. We wanted to get close to them and then when you see somebody you admire go on TV and say ‘Get over it because you make more money’ I’m so sick of that f**king excuse bro. That you’re not allowed to feel because you make a lot of money in the NBA and you get paid and people on Twitter crucifying people that are making millions of dollars because they’re not playing in the game because they’re injured.”
Irving, a 1x NBA champion, has never been shy about addressing his critics. At one point, he was one of the league’s most controversial players but his image has recovered after a stellar campaign with the Mavericks.
“If you ask 95% of the league if they rather be playing 15 minutes or 35 minutes a night, I guarantee you 95% of them would say 35 minutes,” said Irving. “I led the league in minutes, so the f*** what…”
This season is already over for Kyrie Irving, but he’s making the most of his recovery process. Besides keeping a positive outlook on the situation, he’s taken up streaming, where he’s letting fans see a different side of his character.
Regarding criticism from specific OGs, it’s no secret who Kyrie is referring to. On ESPN’s network, the most controversial former player is Kendrick Perkins, who routinely blasts today’s players for being soft or not meeting his expectations.
There’s also former Suns legend Charles Barkley, who now works as an analyst/host on Inside the NBA. Barkley is notorious for his ruthless criticism of modern players and constantly talks down on the current state of the game.
Shaquille O’Neal was a dominant big man in his day but now he’s become known for being a tough critic of the game. His idea of “tough love” is essentially to bully his favorite players until they prove themselves by dominating in the postseason.
Just like every other NBA star today, Irving is frequently condemned by the older generation for things like load management, player empowerment, and the modern play style. He’s only doing what he can in his current situation but he’s grown tired of all the negativity.
Irving has joined many other athletes and fans in calling for a change in NBA media coverage but it remains to be seen how it will evolve. The only hope is for a change in mentality from the OGs and that will not happen easily.
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