Kyrie Irving had a bizarre summer. Fittingly, on Monday, he appeared on ESPN’s First Take for an equally bizarre interview, one where he actively dodged questions like a dogged politician and seemed to embrace the “villain” role that’s supposedly been carved out for him after this trade.
That sentence doesn’t do it justice. This was absolutely, completely bonkers.
Some of Irving’s appearance had to be a legitimate performance art. We’ve already learned that Irving’s Flat Earth debacle might have been a ploy for attention, or perhaps, a dig at the beat reporters who weren’t giving him enough attention. Clearly, the 25-year-old Irving understands how much oxygen he can suck up from the way he presents himself to the media.
Keep that in mind when watching these clips. Also keep in mind that this is a sports athlete who gets paid millions to play basketball, and that nothing here is truly that serious.
But for as seriously as we’re willing to treat the sports world, this is seriously odd. Please enjoy Irving’s trolling act. If you want to, most of the interview (13 minutes worth) is available in the video above, too. We should note that Irving does say many nice, if bland, things about the Cavaliers and LeBron James.
Kyrie asks “why he would have to” talk to LeBron before trade request
Kyrie answered three questions with one-word answers in 20 seconds lmaoooo pic.twitter.com/PoWHCgFDUl
— Tim Cato (@tim_cato) September 18, 2017
SMITH: Did you talk to LeBron James before you and your representatives met with ownership and let them know you wanted out.
IRVING: No.
SMITH: Why not?
IRVING: Why would I have to?
SMITH: If you don’t speak to somebody, they might take it personally.
IRVING: Yeah.
SMITH: Do you care about that at all?
IRVING: No.
Yes, that’s three one-word answers in 20 seconds. But then you hear Irving give longer answers, and, uh ... maybe he should’ve stuck to the one-word ones.
“Oh if you’re very woke, there is no such things as distractions.”
oh if ur very much woke there is no such thing as distractions pic.twitter.com/VsQ6pWURTE
— wnba media elite (@jackhaveitall) September 18, 2017
That’s the quote — “oh if you’re very woke, there is no such things as distractions.” I understand this clip is taking it out of context but WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN, KYRIE?
(And again, I recognize that getting me, Random Sports Blogger, to type angrily in all-caps was probably Irving’s intention here. I’m not angry at all, but he did succeed in the all-caps part.)
“I just think that you just care entirely too much.”
The homie Max Kellerman bout to have a nervous breakdown trying to get ONE answer out of Kyrie. Dude is dodging everything pic.twitter.com/IL3P97jPyA
— Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) September 18, 2017
MAX KELLERMAN: [some question that doesn’t matter because Irving doesn’t even come close to answering it]
IRVING: I just think that you just care entirely too much. I get it, I get it, ask the questions, relationship, here it is, here it is. But you keep forgetting basketball’s a team sport. I’m around differently players all the time. I understand it’s 1-2, 2-1, however you want to slice it. There is no personal issue. There is no, ‘Let me figure out what’s going on, let’s dive in and maybe we’re missing something over here.’ I made the decision as a man, and as a man over there, Max Kellerman, just respect it and leave it alone.
That’s word salad. It makes no sense. It says nothing of significance because it doesn’t say anything. Yes, grammatically, Irving created sentences. But beyond that ...
Kellerman’s face when Irving starts going into the “basketball’s a team sport” thing is the exact same as mine. Please enjoy.
“I’m sorry, Max, that absolutely made no sense to me.”
Kyrie Irving roasting Max Kellerman part 1 pic.twitter.com/NBCMApUfq4
— ☘️Celtics Extra (@CelticsExtra) September 18, 2017
OK, I laughed pretty hard at this one.
“You can’t put a price on happiness.”
Kyrie Irving on First Take when asked about leaving money on the table in leaving Cleveland: "You can't put a price on happiness."
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) September 18, 2017
There’s also an interesting segment that Irving provides in this clip.
IRVING: “I’m ready to move on. I’m ready to be on my own. I’m ready to try out a new situation. I’m ready to be in an environment where I feel like I can be happy. And my intent is the same, it will always be the same, to be around people and to interact with them, I love doing that. To do that through basketball, that’s even better. But to be happy, every single day I come into work and perfecting my craft, I can’t wait to get the next season started.”
I get this, and it sounds like Irving’s most honest answer. Irving is responsible for his own happiness in life, and no one else. You can look at his situation in Cleveland and wonder how he wasn’t happy, given the championship appearances and the one ring and the talented players around him. But you can’t make him be happy about it if he wasn’t. That’s something only Irving himself can bear.
Millions — maybe billions — of people dream about being pro athletes, and Irving is living that at the very highest echelon of his chosen sport. If that still wasn’t enough to make him happy in Cleveland, then good for him choosing a path that will increase his enjoyment of what is, for most people, just a dream.
EPILOGUE: Please enjoy Stephen A. Smith going FULL STEPHEN A.
Kyrie Irving answers Stephen A.'s "Is Durant better than LeBron now?" And "Kobe or LeBron?" interrogation: pic.twitter.com/OinEYoRbXE
— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) September 18, 2017
Stephen A. has the interview of his lifetime and he decides to ask Irving TO SETTLE THE KOBE-LEBRON DEBATE.
My man. Never change, Stephen A., never change.