Former NBA champion drops bold analogy to rank Kyrie Irving over Steph Curry - "People scared to say he’s better"
Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry has long been considered the best point guard of his generation. However, according to Curry's former teammate, Nick Young, Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving may have surpassed the four-time NBA champion.
Despite Irving never being considered a top-five caliber player, his peers often speak glowingly of his elite offensive abilities, particularly his ball handling and finishing. Players often rank him significantly higher among the league's premier players than fans and media members.
That seemingly includes Young, who recently challenged the status quo regarding Curry's near-consensus placement over Irving in all-time player rankings. On Monday, the 2018 champion took to X/Twitter, likening the gap between Curry and Irving to that of NBA legends Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
"Kyrie is the Kobe to Curry's MJ. People [are] scared to say he’s better," Young said.
Drafted in 1996, 12 years after Jordan (1984), Bryant modeled his game after the Chicago Bulls legend, challenging and surpassing some of his major accolades.
Jordan won six titles and five MVPs, earning 14 All-Star selections and 11 All-NBA nods. Conversely, Bryant won five championships and one MVP, garnering 18 All-Star selections and 15 All-NBA nods. Thus, some argue that Bryant should have a GOAT case similar to Jordan.
However, Curry and Irving's careers have overlapped far more, with them getting drafted just two years apart (2009 and 2011). Meanwhile, Curry has Irving beat handily in most major accolades.
Curry boasts four titles, 10 All-Star selections, 10 All-NBA nods and two MVPs. On the other hand, Irving has one championship, eight All-Star selections, three All-NBA nods and has yet to win an MVP.
Moreover, Curry has spent most of his career as a clear-cut No. 1 option and is widely considered the league's greatest 3-point shooter ever. Meanwhile, Irving has mostly played second fiddle to superstar players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic.
So, while Curry and Irving are both great players, based on career accomplishments, roles and eras, Young's Jordan-Bryant analogy doesn't add up.
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NBA fans blast Nick Young for suggesting Kyrie Irving is better than Steph Curry
Following Nick Young's bold take that Kyrie Irving may be better than Steph Curry, NBA fans blasted him in his comments section.
Most asserted that it shouldn't be a debate, as Irving doesn't compare to Curry.
"Kyrie has better handles and finishing moves than Steph Curry, and that’s it. Curry is a much better player than Kyrie, and that’s not a shot at Kyrie," @AidanLaPorta69 said.
"Kyrie the only player in history to have zero achievements or individual accolades and have a superstar-level reputation," @roddystr wrote.
"Terrible analogy. Kyrie isn’t even a consensus Top 10 point guard. You have to compare him to [Chris Paul] and [Russell] Westbrook first. MJ and Kobe are almost unanimously Top 2 at their position," @JacobLogginsNBA said.
"Kyrie doesn’t have a first option ring," @30Agenda wrote.
Meanwhile, some took exception to the idea that people are "scared" to rank Bryant over Jordan.
"Scared? I think people just think MJ is better, LOL," @ericdee96 said.
So, Young's analogy appears to have missed the mark in multiple ways.
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