Getty Nets guard Kyrie Irving
Earlier this month, it was revealed that some members within the Brooklyn Nets organization were puzzled by Kyrie Irving’s mood swings during the team’s trip to China last month, as ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan reported.
“When Irving lapses into these funks, he often shuts down, unwilling to communicate with the coaching staff, front office and, sometimes, even his teammates,” MacMullan revealed. “Nets team sources say one such episode occurred during Brooklyn’s trip to China, leaving everyone scratching their heads as to what precipitated it.”
After a 118-108 loss to the Indiana Pacers, the six-time All-Star in Irving was asked about MacMullan’s article during the Nets’ post-game press conference.
“Who cares what ESPN says or what anyone says?” Irving said. “That’s gonna come with being one of the top players. History has shown you can be the best teammate ever, and someone’s still gonna say something negative about what you’re doing and how you approach your life.
“Human beings have mood swings,” he continued. “It’s OK to be human. I don’t have to be perfect for anyone here, nor do I have to be perfect for the public. So I’m not here to dispel any perception, I’m just here to be myself.”
MacMullan’s colleague at ESPN Stephen A Smith recently shared on First Take last week that he doesn’t hear good things out of Brooklyn about Kyrie Irving.
“I am not hearing good things about Kyrie in Brooklyn.”
—@stephenasmith
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Kyrie Irving’s Ex-Teammate Kevin Love Weighed-in on Rumors
The Cleveland Cavaliers were in Dallas to take on the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. After the morning shootaround, Kevin Love was asked what type of teammate Kyrie Irving is. The two were teammates for three years before Irving requested a trade in 2017. They won a championship together in 2016.
“I’ve only had good experience with Kyrie, Love told Fanatics View. “Obviously, it is easy to say because we had so many teams that went to the finals and play at such a high level. But, it’s tough so much these days – the commentary is so much the content. So, people take some stories and run with them.
Love went on to praise Irving for his play and explain the thought process of when he loses.
“So, for me, I think Kyrie when he loses, he is super upset, but he’s a very talented player that is going to bring it every night. Everybody wants the storyline to be ‘look at how great Boston is doing.’ Boston has a hell of a team, Brad [Stevens] is a great coach. They had a lot of returning guys that stepped up, Jaylen Brown got paid.”
“So, he is going out there and playing extremely well – I think it is just adjusting to a new city, a new team in Brooklyn and them adjusting to how Kyrie plays. I don’t believe the narrative he is a bad teammate because I never experienced that.”
Heavy.com’s Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson reported that he chatted with someone within Irving’s Circle about the comments relating to his mood swings. The source stated, “Who cares that Kyrie has an attitude? Sounds like an agenda.”
MacMullan has been covering Boston sports since 1982 and it has been highly documented that Irving’s time in Boston didn’t end well. Irving is currently out with a shoulder injury and is scheduled to miss the Nets trip to Boston as a part of a three-game road stretch.
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