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NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal recently shared a strong message about the newest member of the Dallas Mavericks, Kyrie Irving. Shaq pointed at the Mavericks guard as the reason the Brooklyn Nets‘ “Big 3” of Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden never came close to living up to the hype.
“Sometimes you have to look at yourself,” O’Neal said via Ben Golliver. “KD was no problem in Brooklyn, so let’s exclude him. Mr. Irving had a lot of stuff going on. James, I don’t know him. So, sometimes you have to look at yourself. I did a lot of crazy stuff. But, at the end of it all I knew my mother was watching, so I tried to keep it professional… But, sometimes you just have to look in the mirror. When you ask to go somewhere and it don’t work out, it’s not always somebody else’s fault. See, I was raised different. Like, my father didn’t play the excuses thing. When I went and we didn’t win, it’s your fault.”
Irving requested a trade from the Nets back on February 3, after he and the team were unable to agree on a contract extension.
Mavs’ Kyrie Irving on Kevin Durant: ‘I’m Just Glad He Got Out’
O’Neal very well could be talking about the way Irving has painted Brooklyn to be the villain in the situation.
Shortly after Uncle Drew’s exit from the Nets, his former teammate, Kevin Durant, was traded to the Phoenix Suns. Irving first discussed the news after his Mavericks debut on February 8, saying he’s happy that Durant “got out of there.”
“You know, I’m just praying for his happiness, praying for his well being. We had a lot of conversations throughout the year of what our futures were going to look like, there was still a level of uncertainty,” Irving said via Brad Townsend. “But, we just cared about seeing each other be places where we can thrive, and whether that be together or whether that be apart, there’s never been one moment where I’ve felt like he’s been angry at me for the decisions I’ve made, or I’ve been angry at him. We’ve just tried to understand each other a lot better and grow as human beings, grow as brothers. This business changes so quickly. He’s getting a little bit older, I’m getting a little bit older. I just love the competition now that we can be in the same conference and I welcome all of that. I’ll get to see him a little bit more, probably playing against Phoenix a lot more. That’s what I’m looking forward to. Everything else in between, I’m just glad he got out of there.”
Irving Doesn’t Want to Discuss Future With Mavericks
The former No. 1 overall pick seems to be over the drama after his departure from Brooklyn. He was recently asked about his expiring contract and his plans in the summer, to which he responded by asking the media not to ask him about the subject.
“I would love to just have the respect of you guys and everybody the rest of the season of just continuously asking me that, because it just puts unwarranted distractions on us and our team,” he told reporters on February 13 before the Mavericks’ 124-121 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. “I’ve dealt with it before and it’s very emotionally draining to ask questions like ‘What’s the long term? What’s the long term?’”
Irving, who is on his fourth team in 12 NBA seasons, has a history of being a flight risk. He requested a trade from the team that drafted him, the Cleveland Cavaliers, then he walked away from the Boston Celtics, and, of course, most recently, he requested a trade from the Nets.
