Getty Jason Tatum and Kyrie Irving at TD Garden.
Let Kyrie Irving tell it, the media has its way of making him seem like a villain or some sort of locker room cancer.
While it may have seemed warranted to many, there have been moments in his career where the 10-year veteran has shown that he can get along with other players in the Association.
Kyrie’s ex-Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum reflected on his two years playing with Uncle Drew in Boston and had nothing but great reviews for the seven-time All-Star.
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Jayson Tatum Sounds off on Kyrie Irving
“I enjoyed it, my first two years in the league, being on the team with him,” Tatum said in a discussion with Mark Carman of FanSided.
“Obviously, we didn’t achieve the ultimate goal, but there was a lot of learning experiences.”
The Celtics’ squad between 2017 and 2019 was a team that, on paper, should have been favorites to win the Eastern Conference. With veteran superstars like Gordon Hayward and Irving leading the way, alongside young talents like Tatum and Jaylen Brown putting on the star-studded performances that they were. However, injuries derailed the team’s plans, and Irving leaving in free agency in 2019 was the final straw.
“Somebody, I’m still really close with today. Obviously, a hell of a basketball player, a hell of a person, I mean, I enjoyed it,” Tatum continued.
“Obviously, there were ups and downs and things like that. But you know, I feel like that’s with any team you can say that about.”
Tatum was not bent out of shape about the way Kyrie left Boston. He admits that he was grateful to have been there for Kyrie’s tenure and playing with one of the best talents in today’s NBA.
He also still likes a good battle on the court against his one-time teammate.
“I enjoyed playing against Ky,” Tatum said.
“Often talking to each other during the game, before and after. So, it’s always fun playing against somebody that you have a relationship with.”
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Kyrie Still Has Great Relationships With His Teammates
After the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Boston Celtics last week, Irving was seen hugging and convening with his former Celtic teammates. When reporters asked him about it Irving had a strong response to the interaction.
“Big surprise huh? To a lot of people. All that sh**-talking about me and all the relationships I have with every teammate of mine,” Irving said via SNY.
“Now, we get to see it every game that I got some great people out here.”
Kyrie Irving on hugging his former Celtics teammates: “Big surprise huh?”
Things have not always been sweet between Kyrie and his former teammates.
In January of 2019, Irving reportedly contacted former teammate LeBron James to apologize for his behavior in Cleveland as a young player. Many took that as a veiled criticism of the Celtics’ younger players, including Tatum and Brown.
“I had to call ‘Bron and tell him I apologize for being that young player that wanted everything at his fingertips,” Irving said at the time, via NBA.com.
“I wanted to be the guy that led us to a championship. I wanted to be the leader. I wanted to be all that.”
Despite Irving’s history with his former teammates, he has proven himself to be an asset to whatever team that he has played for. Winning a title with the Nets this year would only solidify that.
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