As recently as a year ago, Kyrie Irving was considered an outstanding basketball player, but an enigmatic man who couldn’t be relied on to be loyal to any team or group.
After he asked out of the Brooklyn Nets, the Dallas Mavericks traded for him midway through last season, and they promptly failed to reach the play-in tournament.
Critics said he and Luka Doncic couldn’t mesh, but now the Mavs are headed to the NBA Finals despite finishing with a modest 50 wins in the regular season.
On the other hand, Irving was left off of Team USA’s roster for the upcoming Summer Olympics, and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith had something to say about that, per Awful Announcing.
“We all know that’s about imagery, that’s about Team USA, that’s about who you want representing the red, white and blue and stuff like that. We all know that. We know that ain’t about basketball all the time,” Smith said.
Stephen A. Smith on Kyrie Irving not making Team USA’s roster for the 2024 Olympics:
“We all know that’s about imagery, that’s about Team USA, that’s about who you want representing the red, white and blue and stuff like that. We all know that. We know that ain’t about… pic.twitter.com/j61Orscn74
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 31, 2024
Last summer, Team USA failed to win a medal at the FIBA World Cup, and one reason for that poor finish was the fact that it didn’t possess enough of the nation’s best players.
Almost immediately, a number of the NBA’s best and brightest superstars made it known that they were ready and willing to make the trip to Paris in order to bring back the gold medal to the United States.
One reason Irving has acquired his checkered reputation is because of some notable off-the-court incidents, such as when he refused to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and when he tweeted a link to an antisemitic documentary.
But on the court, Irving has delivered lately, and in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, he scored 36 points to help send Dallas to the championship series.
The North Jersey native will now face the Boston Celtics, one of his former teams, with an opportunity to win his second world championship.
Perhaps winning another ring will make up for the sting of not making Team USA’s roster.
NEXT:
Colin Cowherd Compares Mavericks Star To Michael Jordan
