As the Brooklyn Nets gear up for another run in the playoffs, Kyrie Irving chimed in on being 'snubbed' from the NBA's 75th Anniversary team.
Irving, who was recently named as one of the 40 Greatest McDonald’s All-Americans of all time, believed he was left off the list but didn't get into his reasoning as to why, claiming that he'll leave the speculation up to the "conspiracy theorists."
“I think I’ll leave it to the conspiracy theorists,” Irving said following the Nets comeback victory over the Knicks. “I think I was on the list, but I guess I’m not, so hey, like I said, maybe I’ll just wait 10 years, 20 years from now, hopefully with a few championships under my belt and talking with you guys on the court after raising a few banners here in (Brooklyn).”
In fact, the Nets thought he'd be on the list too, releasing a video prematurely congratulating Irving on making the list.
When the league was releasing the list in October, Irving was drawing a ton of backlash from the media for his stance on the COVID-19 vaccination and NYC's mandate that required all workers (including athletes) to be vaccinated in order to work. Was his decision despised in some corners of the league, absolutely, was that the reason he was left off the list, maybe, maybe not.
If we look at his game and the numbers, Irving makes a very compelling case for being on the team. He's a seven-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection and one of the best ball handlers to ever grace the court. He also helped the Cleveland Cavaliers win the 2016 NBA championship, the only title in the history of that franchise. Despite all of the accolades, the 30-year-old point guard says he still has a lot of work left to do in the league.
“It’s not necessarily about proving to somebody why I deserve to be on that list,” he said. “I know that I have a lot more work to do in this league, and I just want to leave it there, so just let my game speak for itself. I love being skilled, but by the time I leave and retire, I want to be known as a winner. A championship winner. (I) wanna have a few of those things and do it with a great group of guys and a great organization that believes in me, and the rest of it can be written by itself.”
Irving wasn't the only notable player snubbed from the league's greatest players list. Dwight Howard and Klay Thompson were the other two players who unlike Irving, were not embroiled in an ongoing stance against New York City's vaccine mandate.
“I think I’ll wait for that when my career is over and maybe on the 100th Anniversary, I’ll make that team. You don’t know unless they expand the group.”
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Follow Jasper Jones on Twitter: @jonesj2342
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