A polarizing player whose rankings among all-time NBA stars vary more than most, Kyrie Irving was not named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team despite being considered one of the most talented players in history with the ball in his hands.
Some people can’t stand Irving, while others consider him the best ball handler and enforcer of all time. Nick Young made his stance clear in a recent post on his X-account.
“Kyrie is the Kobe to Curry MJ. (People are afraid to say he’s better…)” Young said.
While it’s not entirely clear what Young is trying to say, he’s trying to say that Kyrie Irving is to Steph Curry what Kobe Bryant was to Michael Jordan. He’s also implying that people are afraid to admit that Irving is better than Curry, just like no one wants to say that Bryant was better than Jordan.
It’s a loaded statement crammed into a short and confusing post, but he got his point across. Young played alongside Curry and Bryant during his 12-year NBA career, winning the championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2018.
Denigrating a player who helped him win an NBA title is puzzling, but Young is no stranger to controversy, and this is more of a compliment to Irving than a jab at Curry.
Irving should be placed on a higher pedestal in the debates about the greatest players of all time. Ranking ahead of Curry may be a bit over the top, but not making the list of the 75 best players is a travesty. He hit one of the best shots in NBA history, averaged over 20 points per game 11 times in his career, and became a member of the 50-40-90 club in 2021.
Young’s assessment is not entirely off, and it’s also worth noting that his series-winning shot in the 2016 NBA Finals came over Curry’s outstretched fingertips. Irving remains one of the most underrated players in the NBA today, and you can’t make basketball history without Kyrie Irving.
MORE MAVERICKS NEWS
Doncic catches stray dogs after farewell game
Doncic and Jokic: a match made in heaven
Dallas dominates the Kyrie Irving trade
Mavericks will rely on Thompson for reasons other than shooting
