Brooklyn Nets All-Star Kyrie Irving is a pioneer for equality in not only women’s basketball but women’s sports all around.
As a result, the support is equally reciprocated by women athletes across the board. The latest athlete to show their support for Irving is tennis star Naomi Osaka who is fresh off an Australian Open victory.
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Naomi Osaka Shouts Out Kyrie Irving
If there is one thing we know about Irving, it is that the Nets’ star does not care about other people’s opinion of him. When asked by reporters if he thought that his latest stint in Brooklyn had changed people’s perception of him as a person, Kyrie had a brutally honest response.
Osaka reposted Irving’s stern message on her Twitter page on Sunday.
“That’s another route of human struggle, worrying about other people’s perceptions about who you are. Like why would you ever care about that, you know? And I think that I fell victim to that in my past of worrying about things that I can’t control,” Irving told reporters in 2019 via Naomi Osaka’s Twitter page.
s/o Kyrie.
One of the main reasons that Irving reportedly dashed out of Cleveland was because he was tired of playing second fiddle to LeBron James and wanted to be perceived as a leader. Kyrie quickly learned that leadership positions are not all that they are cracked up to be. During his time with the Boston Celtics he came under fire for reportedly being a cancer in the Celtics locker room. Now in his 10th NBA season, the veteran has learned to tune out all the noise and just play basketball.
“You know if people understood what words could do to a human being especially in today’s society, they wouldn’t be invested in that,” Irving continued.
“So, I’m not here to dispel anything, you can continue to ask other people around me about what they think about me and continue to write about mood swings like you know human beings have mood swings. Like you go home and you’re not happy with things or you’re mad at something or you’re happy that’s a mood swing, it’s okay 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.”
Kyrie Is Trying To Carry Kobe Bryant’s Torch
Kyrie may be one of the most misunderstood athletes ever and that is because he is different. Irving’s indifference has caused him to catch heat in the past, perhaps unnecessarily, but that is a price he is willing to pay if it means standing up for what is right and getting the results that he wants. According to WNBA star Natasha Cloud, it is part of the charge he has kept carrying the torch of his late mentor, Kobe Bryant.
“Kobe was his mentor, and when you hear him talk about Kobe, you can hear the love and the passion that he has for him. And the hurt that he has for losing him. So, he understands what he was trying to do,” Cloud said via LandonBuford.com.
“So, he is trying to carry that torch for him, and I think that is an amazing way to carry on his legacy. And I can’t speak highly enough about Kyrie, but I be ready to fight y’all when you write all of these stories on him. He is just a genuine dude.”
Kyrie’s growth as both a player and as a person has been beautiful to see.
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Kyrie Irving’s Response To Critics Earns Him Shoutout From Naomi Osaka