Mavericks' All-Star gives honest take on tumultuous tenure with former team
After bringing the Cleveland Cavaliers their first NBA Championship in 2016, Irving would request a trade and was subsequently moved to the Boston Celtics and later the Brooklyn Nets, where injuries and off-court issues plagued Irving's stint with the latter, especially Irving's personal refusal to acquire a state-mandated COVID-19 vaccine, which caused Irving to sit out several home games.
In a recent live stream that saw Irving react to former teammate Kevin Durant and head coach Steve Nash talk about their times with the Nets, Irving would also throw in his two cents, even talking about some regret that he felt in joining the Eastern Conference team, and going as far as to say the team was more worried about Durant than him.
"I waited for him (Durant) to get healthy, and Brooklyn, I wish we got to know them beforehand, because they wasn't (expletive) with me like that," the former NBA champion said. "The Nets didn't want me like that. They wanted KD, and that's my vantage point. Again, this is not about Brooklyn, this is about business."
Irving is currently rehabbing a torn ACL suffered back in March of this year, and his slated to return sometime around January 2026.
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