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New York Post
7 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Kyrie Irving opens up on doomed Nets era after Kevin Durant questioned his commitment
After Kevin Durant and Steve Nash sat down to discuss what went wrong in Brooklyn, fellow ex-Net Kyrie Irving promised a response. Tuesday night he gave one. Or many. Brooklyn's Big 3 imploded with the stars getting Nash fired and then forcing their way out. Durant made waves recently on the 'Mind the Game' podcast by suggesting that Irving and James Harden hadn't been as committed to making the superteam work. Kyrie Irving (left) and Kevin Durant during the 2023 NBA playoffs. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST 'When (Durant) said this, emotionally, I was like, 'OK.' 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,' Irving began on his Twitch stream. 'I wish I had my soundboard for this, but not everybody's going to do what you want them to do. 'Not everybody's going to be committed the way you want them to be committed.' Irving acknowledged he might not have committed at all if he'd been more mature and gotten to know Brooklyn's brass first, before signing. '(I didn't meet) the Nets front office one time. I didn't meet with the GM one time, the assistant GM one time, literally,' Irving said. 'When I look back at that decision, I'm like, man, I should've taken some more time to delegate and figure out what's best for me.' The All-Star guard suggested that the Nets had been leery about him but really wanted Durant —something The Post had reported before they signed. 'Brooklyn, I wish that we got a chance to get to know them beforehand, because they wasn't f–king with me like that. And that's just me; that's my perspective,' Irving said. 'Now, did they want me on the team? Sure, you could say that. But Kenny Atkinson wasn't f–king with me like that, bro. They didn't want me like that. They wanted K. And that's my vantage point, right? This is the information that I gathered after I left. 'I wish I would've handled the business better and got a chance to know them first, ask them questions, 'hey, what's the future like?' Instead of just committing blindly and thinking that 'hey, we're about to come in here and just do X, Y, and Z' I didn't have much power going in there. I couldn't say who we could get and who we could not get. I couldn't hire the coach. You guys knew my opinion on the head coach at the time. 'It wasn't perfect, but it was very immature. I was very immature at that point; 27, 28…When I was in Brooklyn, I just look back at the businesses like, yo, get to know the front office before you make any decision.' Kyrie Atkins discussed his relationship with former Nets coach Kenny Atkinson. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post While Irving claimed he didn't have power to shape the team, he said Durant was responsible for bringing in Nash after Atkinson's ouster. Irving averaged 27.1 points, 5.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds for Brooklyn, an All-Star on the court. But he'll also be remembered for drama off the court, suspended to start 2021-22 for refusing to adhere to the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Follow all the basketball buzz in Brooklyn Sign up for Inside the Nets by Brian Lewis, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters The guard got suspended again the next season after promoting an antisemitic film called 'Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.' He eventually demanded and got a move at the trade deadline to the Mavericks in February 2023 — but tried to get waived in 2021. Warning: Graphic language 'Even the people that I was in business with were pro-vaccine,' Irving said. 'I'm like, OK, look, that's fine, but just leave me the f–k out of this and let me go somewhere. I even told the Nets to release me. I said, 'yo, can you please just release me?' And, obviously, the money situation — different situation, I'm f–king Kyrie. I say that very aware of my position, but they weren't just going to let me rock out.' Irving stressed he had no issue with either Durant or Nash. 'Me and KD are not beefing,' Irving said. 'I'm not beefing with Steve Nash. I'm not beefing with anybody.'
Time of India
7 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
"The Nets didn't want me like that"- Kyrie Irving says the Brooklyn Nets only wanted him to get Kevin Durant
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Image via: Getty Images Kevin Durant made some bold revelations while appearing on the Mind the Game podcast with LeBron James and Steve Nash. After the podcast went public, Kyrie Irving , who was one of the topics of discussion, said that he would be addressing the former's claims on his streaming channel and talk about his time with the Brooklyn Nets. Irving has now stated that the Nets never wanted him, but wanted to get Kevin Durant through him, which of course, is turning heads. Kyrie Irving said Brooklyn Nets never wanted him Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden came together for one of the most successful seasons the Brooklyn Nets had. Unfortunately, they could not win the championship because of a series of reasons, including injuries, and now it seems like something else. "I wish that we got a chance to get to know them beforehand because they wasn't f***ing with me like that... Kenny Atkinson wasn't f***ing with me like that. The Nets didn't want me like that. They wanted KD." — TheDunkCentral (@TheDunkCentral) It's not a secret that at that time Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant were somewhat of a package deal. So since the Nets wanted KD, they also had to get Irving. The nine-time All-Star also picked up on the fact that Durant implied he wasn't committed to winning. Kyrie Irving was fired up about Kevin Durant's comments Kyrie Irving didn't take too lightly about Kevin Durant saying he wasn't committed enough when he was with the Brooklyn Nets. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Urologist's Discovery: Tomato Trick That Could Reduce Prostate Naturally Men's Health Watch Now Undo The Dallas Mavericks guard said that he has long understood that not everyone is going to share the same thought process as him, but that didn't mean he wasn't all in. "When he said this, emotionally, I was like, okay. 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." He further added: "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." What was supposed to be a golden era for the Nets with KD, Irving, and James Harden ended up being nothing more than a pipe dream, with Irving finally leaving the Nets in 2023. Also Read: Kyrie Irving makes a major revelation from his suspension days with Brooklyn Nets FAQs When did Kyrie Irving sign with the Brooklyn Nets? Kyrie Irving signed with the Brooklyn Nets in 2016, and his stint with them ended in 2023. What team does Kyrie Irving play for now? Kyrie Irving plays as a point guard for the Dallas Mavericks. Has Kyrie Irving won an NBA Championship ? Kyrie Irving won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
USA Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Kyrie Irving speaks on time with former Nets Kevin Durant, Steve Nash
lol I am gonna address this on my stream soon The Brooklyn Nets are a few years removed from one of the most exciting eras in Nets history when they had Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the roster. During an era in which Brooklyn was able to add James Harden into the mix, the Nets were only able to get to the second round before everything fell apart. Irving maintains that there are no hard feelings. "Me and KD are not beefing. I'm not beefing with Steve Nash. I'm not beefing with anybody, you guys. Alright? This is not personal against KD," Irving said during a recent Twitch stream when talking about his time with the Nets (h/t to Bleacher Report's Mike Chiari). Irving was seemingly responding to when Durant and Nash were on Nash and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James' "Mind the Game" podcast to discuss why their time in Brooklyn wasn't more successful. "Even when he tweeted back at me and he said he's going to have the noti's (notifications) on, I appreciate that, you guys," Irving continued. "I appreciate the engagement. I just want to tell KD I love him, you know what I'm saying? At that moment, I'm not sure what he was thinking, but at the same time I would never, ever broadcast anything crazy. There's so much that happened while we were in Brooklyn. There is so much spun narratives after we left Brooklyn." When Durant appeared on Nash and James' podcast, the player-coach duo admitted that they tried to do the best they could under the circumstances, but that there were too many moving pieces for them to find consistency. "We got GMs going to other teams, we got coaches going to other teams, we got players forcing trades. We got Ben Simmons, his back (is messed up) like it was just so much stuff going on around us," Durant said in part. Heading into the 2019-20 season, the Nets acquired Durant and Irving in the same summer as the unofficial start of the next great era of Nets basketball. Many around the league expected Brooklyn to become a championship contender after Irving and Durant arrived, but that did not come to fruition. Irving provided his take on how he feels about that journey years later.
NBC Sports
7 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving discuss what went wrong in Brooklyn
Going into the 2021-22 NBA season, the question was, 'Can anybody compete with the Brooklyn Nets?' They had Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden with a solid supporting cast. They were the clear betting favorite going into the season, with no other team in the East particularly close. By the time the playoffs rolled around, Haden had forced his way to Philadelphia, and the 44-38 Nets were seventh in the East, getting swept out of the playoffs in the first round by Boston. In recent days during public discussions, Durant and Kyrie Irving were re-litigating what went wrong in Brooklyn. It started with Durant on the Mind the Game podcast with LeBron James and Steve Nash, the latter of whom was the coach of that Nets team. "I think we didn't get the full Steve Nash like I wanted."@KDTrey5 explains why Brooklyn didn't workout the way it should've and more on Part 2 of a new episode. Watch on our YouTube, @PrimeVideo or listen wherever you get your podcasts 'I feel like we [Durant, Nash] were locked in on the same page and understanding we're trying to do something special here. And I feel like your hands were tied a lot because, as a coach, you had to deal with so much. I think we didn't get the full Steve Nash like I wanted. Like you probably wanted... 'I enjoyed it. I enjoyed Brooklyn a lot. I loved playing for Brooklyn, but it's just so much happened around the guys that were committed to the situation. I felt like we were committed but everybody else wasn't. It was just weird.' Irving, speaking on his Twitch channel, talked about how he waited for Durant to get healthy from his torn Achilles, and that the Nets cared way more about KD than they did Irving — and former Nets coach Kenny Atkinson caught a stray from Irving as well. Here is what Irving said about his relationship with the Nets: 'I wish that we got a chance to get to know them beforehand because they wasn't f***ing with me like that... Kenny Atkinson wasn't f***ing with me like that. The Nets didn't want me like that. They wanted KD.' Irving also said he was surprised by the Harden trade, which Harden himself had pushed for, and that getting Ben Simmons and his back issues as the return ultimately turned out to be a mess. (Harden took a lot of hits in the media and online at the time of that trade, but within a year, the pendulum had swung back and he looked like the guy who saw the writing on the wall and got out while he could.) Irving, however, added he has no issue with Durant, Nash, or anybody else in Brooklyn. 'Me and KD are not beefing. I'm not beefing with Steve Nash. I'm not beefing with anybody, you guys. Alright? This is not personal against KD, and even when he tweeted back at me and he said he's going to have the noti's on, I appreciate that, you guys. I appreciate the engagement. I just want to tell KD I love him, you know what I'm saying?.. 'It wasn't perfect, but I can honestly say I took a chance on winning a championship with my best friend. We had an incredible time. I can honestly take accountability for my actions and say that I wasn't always in the best space mentally, spiritually, physically, emotionally... So, let me get that disclaimer out … I've played with a lot of great players, but playing with KD, that was OD. He's one of the best of all time. Obviously we all have our strengths and weaknesses… I'm doing my thing. He's doing his thing. Let's leave it there.' The Brooklyn Nets organization is still climbing out of the hole of that era, starting to try to rebuild something. But that was a deep hole, and it's going to take time.
USA Today
20-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
LeBron James on if NBA should give an Offensive Player of the Year award
In the NFL, a number of individual awards are given out each season that the NBA doesn't have. That includes the Offensive Player of the Year award, which is distinct from the MVP award. Historically, at least in the modern era, the NFL MVP has usually been awarded to quarterbacks. But the Offensive Player of the Year award often goes to a wide receiver or running back, and it makes a nice addition to one's resume. Some have wondered if the NBA should add an Offensive Player of the Year award to its list of annual individual honors. During a recent episode of the "Mind the Game" podcast, LeBron James wondered out loud about what the criteria for an Offensive Player of the Year award would be in the NBA. 'I did think about how the NFL does Offensive Player of the Year and MVP. I thought that could possibly be something in our league, where you give an Offensive Player of the Year and an MVP… It changes. It's like, OK, so is it the best player? Is it the player who had the best season with their team? Maybe that's Offensive Player of the Year. Or is it just simply the best player in the league, statistically this was the best player in the league. Obviously you're not going to have someone in there whose team didn't come close to making the playoffs … it's not the most valuable, then.' This past season, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the regular season MVP award, and he also earned NBA Finals MVP honors when his team won the world championship. But although he led the league in scoring, an Offensive Player of the Year award would've likely gone to Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets, who became just the third player in league history to average a triple-double. If the NBA had an Offensive Player of the Year award, as the NFL has had for decades, there is no doubt James would've won at least a couple of them.
