Veteran forward Kevin Durant made headlines with his comments on the “Mind the Game” podcast, suggesting that Kyrie Irving and James Harden lacked commitment to making their Brooklyn Nets super team experiment work.
In conversation with Steve Nash, the former Nets head coach, Durant said that he and Nash were “committed, but everybody else wasn’t,” which created a “weird” situation.
On July 16, Irving promised to address Durant’s comments on his Twitch stream.
The Mavericks superstar kept his word, as he responded to Durant’s comments on his Twitch stream on July 22. Irving began by admitting that he may not have been as committed to the Nets as Durant, but more so due to circumstances out of his control.
“When he [Durant] said this, emotionally, I was like, ‘Okay,'” Irving began, via SportingNews. “We’re all committed to the goal at the end of the day, but sometimes not everybody’s going to follow what you want them to do. I wish I had my soundboard for this, but not everybody’s going to do what you want them to do.”
“I’ve had to accept that as a human being and as a leader — not everybody’s going to do what you want them to do,” Irving continued.
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“Not everybody’s going to be committed the way you want them to be committed.”
“And it’s not like K is asking me for this, but I asked for this commitment before I committed to Brooklyn from him, which was a beautiful thing. I’m like, ‘yo, let’s commit to this thing, we can build up Brooklyn and we can really put Brooklyn on the map. Nobody’s been thinking about Brooklyn. But when he said that, I’m like, bro, Steve wasn’t even in the play yet.”
Irving acknowledged that the Nets’ requirement for him to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which resulted in his suspension, played a significant role in his decision to seek a trade from Brooklyn.
“I even told the Nets to release me,” Irving recalled, via Yahoo Sports.
“‘Yo, can you please just release me?’ And, obviously, the money situation — different situation, I’m (expletive) Kyrie. I say that very aware of my position, but they weren’t just going to let me rock out.”
Are Irving and Durant Beefing?
Irving was ultimately dealt to the Dallas Mavericks before the 2023 NBA trade deadline, bringing an end to his highly underwhelming stint with the Nets.
The 9-time All-Star further addressed rumors that he’s “beefing” with Durant and Nash over their comments on the “Mind the Game” podcast.
“Me and KD are not beefing,” he confirmed. “I’m not beefing with Steve Nash. I’m not beefing with anybody, you guys. This is not personal against KD.”
Irving also spoke glowingly about his time playing with Durant, even though it ended unceremoniously.
“The 7/11 duo of me and KD will never be topped in terms of just being on the court with somebody that special,” he said. “So, let me get that disclaimer out. Let me get that disclaimer. I’ve played with a lot of great players, but playing with KD… One of the best of all-time.”
“The 7/11 duo of me and KD will never be topped in terms of being on the court with somebody that special”
Irving is expected to miss a large chunk of the 2025-26 season as he recovers from an ACL tear. As for Durant, the 15-time All-Star has the chance to compete for his third NBA championship with the budding Rockets.
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