Getty James Harden and Kyrie Irving share a laugh at the 2018 NBA All Star Game.
After having a relatively quiet NBA offseason, Brooklyn Nets’ point guard Kyrie Irving’s name has slowly but surely matriculated back into the headlines. After having a tumultuous 2020 season, many Nets fans were hoping that Kyrie would let his actions on the floor do the talking for him this year. So far that plan has failed.
Irving has recently become the topic of discussion since Nick Wright, an analyst on Fox Sports One’s First Things First, suggested that the Nets trade Irving in exchange for Sixers All-Star Ben Simmons. He followed that up by saying that if the Nets were to try and trade Irving, the 7-time All-Star would immediately retire.
With all of the recent drama surrounding Irving, most expected that a response was coming whether it be directly or indirectly. But his latest tweet has left many people confused more than anything.
“My mask is off. Now take yours off. No fear,” Irving tweeted out on September 15.
My mask is off. Now take yours off. No fear.
The latest Nets news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Nets newsletter here!
Kyrie Irving’s Tweet Sets Twitter Ablaze
Kyrie’s latest cryptic tweet is one that is a tough one to decode. Mainly because his tweet could have a plethora of meanings. Is he talking about a literal mask or a figurative mask? Who is the ‘you’ that he is telling to unmask themselves? What is he trying to tell us that he is unafraid of?
All questions that have remained unanswered in Irving’s 10-word rant.
As is the case with most everything that Kyrie tweets, his latest post sent fans on Twitter into an uproar as they tried to decode his cryptic message.
Context is important in Kyrie Irving’s tweet.
My Mask is off = Has nothing to do with Covid-19. Translated instead as: He’s focused. He’s locked in, he’s doing him. He’s living his best live, being himself.
Now take yours off = Stop being fake. Live life.
No fear = Do you!
i’m catching up here but…some of you are audacious enough to think you know what kyrie is talking about? i would never assume that.
I like Kyrie Irving because it’s like a time warp back to the John Lennon experimental days. He’s saying stuff that makes sense to him right as he learns it for everyone to hear. It’s fun.
Kyrie put out one tweet and ppl are getting upset. What happen to respecting people’s opinion.
Follow the Heavy on Nets Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content out of Brooklyn!
Matt Sullivan Explains Why Kyrie Doesn’t Get ‘Fair Shake’
Matt Sullivan, the author of the book Can’t Knock the Hustle was the first person to report that the Nets were willing to listen to trade offers for Irving this summer. As someone who has covered Kyrie and the rest of the Nets in closer proximity than most, he believes that the former number one overall pick does not get a fair shake from the NBA media.
“I think that Kyrie’s been right about a lot of things and some of the button-pushing that — I think some of the villainized myths of the NBA media around him that was built upon, the slanderous stuff that you know a lot of that stuff was slightly less mature more provocative on purpose kind of action has grown as he has as a man,” Sullivan told Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson of Bally Sports Network.
“So, I’m not sure if he will truly get the fair shake from the NBA media. I think that it’s up to fans and followers who believe in him for him to keep putting his fist up in the air; be clear about what he is fighting for. Maybe not give the rambling heady he would give to me in the locker room so much as Here’s what I’m fighting for. Here’s how you can follow me. And I think you’ll see a lot more of that as Kyrie emerges from what’s been an incredibly chaotic couple of years.”
Kyrie has shown over the past few seasons that off the court he is a person who has many layers and will never be someone who’s easy to figure out. But as long as he continues to produce the way that he does on the court, everything else should be irrelevant.
READ NEXT: Nets Kyrie Irving Would Retire From NBA Under One Condition: Report