Kyrie Irving has always been a socially conscious individual and when something bothers him, he makes sure to voice his opinion. Throughout this season, Irving has made it abundantly clear that basketball is not the most important thing in his life, and while that may bother some fans, there is no denying that he has every right to feel that way. At the end of the day, human rights are way bigger than sports and if Kyrie wants to dedicate his life to righteous causes, he should be able to do so.
Last night, the Nets defeated the Chicago Bulls and after the game, Irving was not interested in answering any questions related to the game. Instead, he spoke on the conflict in Israel and Palestine and how it has affected him. Irving touched on those who are oppressed and how his mind has mostly shifted over to what’s going on overseas.
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“I’m not going to lie to you guys, a lot of stuff is going on in this world and basketball is just not the most important thing to me right now,” Irving said per ESPN. “There’s a lot of things going on overseas. All our people are still in bondage across the world, and there’s a lot of dehumanization going on.
“So I apologize if I’m not going to be focused on y’all’s questions. It’s just too much going on in the world for me to just be talking about basketball. I focus on this most of the time, 24/7, but it’s just too much going on in this world not to address. It’s just sad to see this s— going on. It’s not just in Palestine, not just in Israel. It’s all over the world, and I feel it. I’m very compassionate to it — to all races, all cultures and to see it, to see a lot of people being discriminated against, based on their religion, color of their skin, what they believe in. It’s just sad.”
With the playoffs right around the corner, it remains to be seen whether or not Irving will want to continue with the season. He has never been shy to take some time off, and Nets fans should be prepared for anything.
[Via]