Kyrie Irving went on quite a rant on Twitch after the Mavericks’ 113-106 loss to the Pelicans on Wednesday.
Irving railed in opposition to individuals who assume they know him simply because they watch him play basketball.
“You see me for three hours and you think you know who I am,” he stated. “You see a couple of posts: ‘Oh Ky is woke, Ky got it, oh, Ky is, oh my goodness. He just doesn’t match into the mould of all of the folks. He’s completely different, he’s loopy, he’s smug, he’s this, he’s that.’ All from seeing me for 3 hours. You get all that.
“‘What’s Ky gonna do that summer time? Does Ky like Dallas? What occurred in Brooklyn? What occurred in Boston? What occurred in Cleveland? Why did you permit LeBron [James]? Why did you permit Jayson [Tatum]? Why did you permit KD [Kevin Durant]? Why did you permit all these folks?’
“It’s 15 guys on the team and I’m the one cancer in the room. That’s what it’s portrayed as…these older, bitter gentlemen and women keep my name in their mouths every day”
– Kyrie Irving
(h/t @NBA_NewYork ) pic.twitter.com/wFakckwEp1
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) March 9, 2023
“For three hours — get to ask all these legitimate questions as if 21 hours every day wasn’t happening after that. Me, you think that I’m the cancer in the locker room as if basketball is an individual sport that one person is supposed to take blame for. It’s 15 guys on the team, and I’m the one cancer in the room. That’s what it’s portrayed as. That’s what you guys get. That’s what they have fun doing. That’s why these older, bitter gentlemen and women keep my name in their mouths every day.”
Irving additionally stated sports activities betting was ruining the “purity” of the sport.
“Gambling and sports betting has completely taken the purity away and the fun away from the game at times,” he stated. “I’m gonna just be honest with y’all. Work is work, but the support around it can be distracting. “There’s a difference between being a diehard fan and supporting your team and loving your team versus somebody that’s betting on a parlay or somebody that wants to hit.”
Irving concluded his rant by questioning how he’s free if different’s aren’t.
“How am I free if I know kids are still working in the cobalt mines in the Congo?” he stated.
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