Looking at Kyrie Irving's flat-earth argument and 4 other bizarre things he has said or done
On the court, Kyrie Irving is known for his superhuman scoring abilities and flashy dribbling moves. Off the court, however, Irving's reputation is less than stellar. Time and time again, the former NBA champ has stirred up controversy that has spilled over from his personal life and into his professional life.
Today, we're looking at some of the unique things Kyrie Irving has done throughout his career.
5: Flat Earth Conspiracy
This one may be one of the most absurd things Kyrie Irving has ever said or done. Back during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving boldly proclaimed that the Earth is flat. It wasn't just one offhand remark either, as almost exactly a year later, Irving doubled down on the claims during an episode of the "Holding Court" podcast:
“When I started actually doing research on my own and figuring out that there is no real picture of Earth, not one real picture of Earth—and we haven’t been back to the moon since 1961 or 1969—it becomes like conspiracy, too.”
4: Burning sage pre-game at TD Garden
While this one wouldn't have made headlines had it been a consistent ritual that Irving continued to perform to honor his Native American roots, that wasn't the case. Irving's first instance of burning sage came when he returned to TD Garden to play against the Boston Celtics in late 2020.
While he said at the time that he was going to continue to do so, it doesn't seem as though he has continued with the practice every game.
3: Boycotting the media
Kyrie Irving made headlines before the season even started. While teams around the league were gearing up for the start of the season with media obligations, Kyrie opted to issue a statement. Before heading out from the Nets' facility, he sent the team's spokesperson a message to relay to media members.
Based on the statement, fans, media and the league soon realized Irving had no intentions of participating in the media day. As a result, the league fined him for violating his required media obligations.
2: Kyrie Irving going off the grid
Back in 2021, Irving left fans and his teammates baffled when he went MIA prior to the Nets game against the Philadelphia 76ers. With Steve Nash and the rest of the Nets left hanging, many fans theorized that his absence was the result of the Jan. 6 insurrection in the White House.
While Irving never commented on it, reports emerged that at the time he was off the grid and couldn't be reached.
1: Covertly dissing LeBron James
When LeBron James and Kyrie Irving won NBA gold with the Cleveland Cavaliers, many proclaimed them one of the best duos in league history. With a veteran like James and an elite young guard like Irving, the two seemed like a great fit on the court.
After Kyrie went to Brooklyn, he left many fans scratching their heads when he threw some subtle shade at LeBron James during an ESPN interview:
“One thing I’ve always been comfortable with, I felt like I was the best option on every team I played for down the stretch. This is the first time in my career I’ve looked down and be like, ‘That motherf***** can make that shot too.’ And he’ll probably do it a lot easier.”