Kyrie Irving Opens Up On Last Few Years: "I've Done Some Quirky S**t."

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Kyrie Irving is one of the best players at the point guard position when he's healthy. He is an elite ballhandler and shot creator, and despite his size, he is capable of getting his shot off against almost every single defender in the league. He was only a part-time player last season, but Kyrie Irving still managed to average 27.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 5.8 APG.

There is no doubt that Kyrie Irving has faced a lot of criticism last season. His availability was obviously a huge talking point in the NBA world, and Stephen A. Smith once claimed he'd never give Kyrie Irving a long-term contract again as Irving "cannot be trusted".

"Kyrie Irving is box office, this brother deserves $50 million a year. I would never give him a long-term contract again. He cannot be trusted. You pay him one year at a time. I don't care how much money he gets, you pay him on year at a time. You know why? Cuz you gotta make sure he shows up to work.

"This man has played in 11 seasons in this NBA. He has played over 60 games 4 times and there's 82 games in the season. He is one of the absolute professionals at missing work. I'm not giving him a long-term deal, you got to be crazy."

Obviously, Kyrie Irving has been a controversial player long-before his situation with the Brooklyn Nets last season. There have been multiple instances of him doing frowned-upon things prior to his COVID-19 decision, such as him stomping on the Celtics logo in the 2021 playoffs.

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Kyrie Irving Gets Real On The Last Few Years

Of course, when someone makes mistakes, they can either admit it or deny it. It seems as though Kyrie Irving has chosen the latter, and that is certainly very commendable.

In a recent episode of The Shop on Uninterrupted, Kyrie Irving opened up on his behavior over the past few years. He admitted that he has done "some quirky s**t" both in public and behind the scenes but added that he doesn't "use it as baggage".

“I have been through a lot more than I could probably speak here on in five minutes or 10 minutes. I don’t use it as baggage that I like to carry around with me. My history is my history. I’ve done some quirky sh*t in public and some quirky sh*t behind the scenes and I’ve dealt with the vilification of that. I often didn't spend time with people.

There is no doubt that Kyrie Irving is a max-level player if we go by talent alone. He is a multiple-time All-Star and a proven champion. However, he has to show that he will consistently play games for a team if he's not injured, and perhaps we'll see that next season.

The Brooklyn Nets will be contenders next season, and perhaps we'll end up seeing Kyrie Irving thrive. They have the talent to win it all, and Kyrie Irving will be crucial in making that happen.