Kyrie Irving Responds to Durant’s Comments on Brooklyn Nets
After Kevin Durant and Steve Nash had a conversation about their time in Brooklyn, former Nets teammate Kyrie Irving promised to share his thoughts.
On Tuesday night, he did just that.
The star trio, which included a coach who was let go and a player who was traded, faced some turbulence. Recently, Durant stirred the pot during an appearance on a podcast when he suggested that both Irving and James Harden weren’t fully invested in making their super team succeed.
Irving reacted, saying, “When Durant expressed that, I thought, ‘Okay’. We all have our goals, but sometimes people won’t follow your lead.” He went on to say, “Not everyone is committed in the same way.”
Reflecting on his past, Irving admitted that if he had matured sooner and had more insight into the team’s management, he might not have signed with Brooklyn in the first place. “I never even met with the GM or anyone in the front office before joining. Looking back, I should’ve taken more time to understand the situation,” he shared.
This led him to believe that the Nets seemed to prefer Durant over him. “They didn’t really want to get to know me like that. But that’s just my perspective. Did they want me on the team? I think you could argue that, but they didn’t engage me the way they did with Durant,” he explained.
Irving mentioned, “I should have approached things differently and thought more about the future before jumping in.” He noted his own immaturity at that time, reflecting on how he needed to know more about the front office before making decisions.
He claimed he felt he lacked influence over the team dynamics, pointing out that it was Durant who had a say in bringing in Nash after the departure of coach Kenny Atkinson.
Irving’s time in Brooklyn was marked by highs and lows. He averaged an impressive 27.1 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds, but also faced scrutiny during a stretch where he was sidelined due to noncompliance with a local Covid-19 vaccine mandate.
Despite his challenges, Irving maintained there was no animosity between him, Durant, or Nash. “I have no issues with either of them,” he stated. “There’s no beef between me and KD or Steve.”
