Almost an apology. 
Kyrie Irving on his tenure in Boston: 'I wasn't my best self during that time'
“I don’t mind, after a few years, taking the brunt of the blame (for my time in Boston not working out),” Irving said. “(I’m) one of the best players in the world so I know what comes with that fair criticism. You know, it’s just that a little bit more grace could have been extended my way, especially with what I was dealing with during that time as a human being. “I know sometimes in sports, it’s literally about the end goal and result in what you accomplish, and that’s one thing. But we’re still human. At the end of the day, I wasn’t my best self during that time. When I look back on it, I just see it as a time where I learned how to let go of things and learned how to talk through my emotions.” – via New York Times
“But I will say last time in Boston, I don’t think that was the best — not this regular season, but when we played in the playoffs and everyone saw me flip off the birds and kind of lose my s— a little bit — that wasn’t a great reflection of who I am and how I like to compete on a high level. It wasn’t a great reflection on my end towards the next generation on what it means to control your emotions in that type of environment, no matter what people are yelling at you. – via ESPN
Irving said some “fair criticism” has come his way due to his short tenure in Boston, considering his status as one of the league’s best players, but he felt that “a little bit more grace could have been extended my way, especially what I was dealing with during that time as a human being.” “It was just a chapter in my life that I got to enjoy for the most part,” Irving said of his stint with the Celtics. “We had a great opportunity to do some special things, but it was cut short, just based off personal reasons on my end. One thing I look back on my time in Boston — I’ve said this over the past few years, but somehow it gets tossed under the rug — but the greatest thing I learned from Boston was just being able to manage not only my emotions or just what’s going on on a day-to-day basis of being a leader of a team or being one of the leaders, and having young guys around you that have their own goals, but you have to learn how to put the big picture first.” – via ESPN
Even with an """apology""" he can't help but blame everyone else
Heh, I mean it's not the worst thing he could have said, but it's very Kyrie, and it's not really an apology.
Apology: I acted poorly and I regret that.
Kyrie: As one of the greatest players in the world, people were a little hard on me, and I wasn't as perfect as usual I guess, but I did become a better leader and sacrifice for the greater good.
I felt that was the best public apology by an athlete I've heard in a long time. He's not wrong that people were hard on him, and he's not wrong that does come with the territory of being a star athlete.
I've said it before: players admire Kyrie because he is as genuine as they come. He says and acts what he feels, and that combined with charisma makes him magnetic to his peers.
There's flightiness there, and a lack of loyalty and sticking with your commitments, and a willingness to blame other non-peers too quickly, but it does seem he's grown in his time at Dallas as a teammate and a person coming to terms with his past actions.
FTFY:
"it does seem he's grown in his time at Boston Brooklyn Dallas as a teammate and a person coming to terms with his past actions"
Who's next?
And I just have a hard time with calling him "genuine" for always dodging blame. If you aren't even honest with yourself, how genuine can you be?
The way I mean it here true and genuine are different. Truth has to do with syncing up with reality. Genuine with one's self and feelings.
Again, its the reason I think Kyrie is so loved by his peers. He is supremely in touch with that and willing to express it, even if he is out of touch with the reality of his actions and impact toward others.
In Kyrie's case, I think he's immature. Saying whatever self-absorbed thing you feel and not understanding the consequences, sure, it's genuine, but it looks a lot like the Kyrie saga. Any bad behavior can also be genuine.
Maybe he's matured, and I'm just biased by his past actions. It's possible. I get why Kyrie is liked -- he's supremely talented, marketable, charismatic, he's never done anything ACTUALLY bad like commit crimes or violence etc etc. I would not say he's a bad person, or beneath many other players with real indiscretions.
I also don't think being liked by a few teammates discredits the idea that he's mind-numbing to deal with for a lot of other people who won't put up with that type of personality. I know people with plenty of friends that would drive me up a wall with their nonsense. They aren't terrible people, just insufferable to someone like myself.
Topic: 2024 NBA Season and Playoffs (Read 1056053 times)