NBA Legend Refutes Luka Doncic’s Kyrie Irving Claim Amid Growing Issues in Dallas Mavericks

The 21st century has seen the rise of scoring point guards, and two players who are the torchbearers of this playstyle are Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard. However, when it came to picking the top 75 guards of all-time, the NBA chose to leave out the Dallas Mavericks superstar. While it’s been a minute since that happened, the debate of who’s better still rages on to this day, and several former NBA stars have given their opinion on the matter, including Gilbert Arenas, who recently re-visited this topic, causing a massive stir.

The former Wizards guard suggested that Dame is clearly the better player than Kyrie Irving, and if it weren’t for the former NBA champion’s massive following, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation right now. As expected, this statement did not sit right with Kyrie loyalists, as this debate gained massive traction on the internet. So much so that now, another former player, Kendrick Perkins, has decided to weigh in, and he’s said something that is only going to further frustrate the Mavs guard’s followers.

“Kyrie was just never a Batman on none of his teams. And that’s not a knock to him. Dame was.” Perkins said. “ And when he was the Batman, Cleveland was drafting, they had the number one pick every single f—ing year until ‘Bron got there. Right. And that’s just me keeping. And I like seriously, I think Kyrie is the most skilled player that I’ve ever seen like skill-wise. But I do think that Gilbert is on to something when he says this about Dame Dollar.”

Not only did Perkins pick Damian Lillard over Irving, but he also dismissed the Mavs guard’s former teammate’s claim. For those of you who are unaware, before moving to Los Angeles last year, Luka Doncic suggested that the veteran guard is the ‘Batman’ and he’s the ‘Robin’ of the team. However, it seems like Perkins doesn’t agree with the Slovenian superstar, suggesting that Kyrie Irving has never been the centerpiece of a franchise.

However, even this was not it for Perkins, as he emphasized that it’s not just the accolades that matter, it is also the journey. He then reminded everyone that Dame had to hustle his way through the top. On the other hand, Irving, who was a one-and-done sensation out of Duke, had everything he needed. In fact, the panel of the ‘Road Trippin‘ podcast, where Kendrick Perkins gave his views on the matter, also questioned Kyrie’s leadership style, as they showed concerns for the Dallas Mavericks.

Former NBA stars question Kyrie Irving’s leadership amid growing issues in Dallas

Even though Kyrie Irving is a former NBA champion and a three-time All-NBA selection, there has always been a question mark over his leadership. That’s something several people have pointed out over the years, and most recently, former NBA player Channing Frye reminded everyone of this while chatting on the ‘Road Trippin’ podcast.

“I think Kyrie is so talented. He’s like, ‘Guys, give me the ball and then just play off me,’ right? He’s always been that this much more talented than everyone, whereas Dame Lillard’s humility creates a different type of leadership.” Frye suggested. The former NBA champ stated that Irving’s leadership is more trusting of his game, rather than elevating the entire team.

The former NBA champion thinks that it’s his unique leadership qualities that not only separate Kyrie from Damian Lillard but also several other superstars in the league. He then stated that while there’s nothing wrong with trusting one’s own talent, especially when you’re Kyrie Irving. But if you’re not surrounded by the right pieces, things could go wrong in no time.

That’s something that will, without a doubt, be a huge reason for concern for the Mavericks, given that they need to accommodate several stars (Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg) and not just cater to Kyrie Irving. But even if they do find a way through that, there’s Kyrie’s terrible injury record, due to which he hasn’t been able to suit up for more than 60 games in each of his last six campaigns.

Although there’s only so much the veteran superstar can control about the injuries, it won’t make it any less concerning for the Mavs, as they aim to become contenders in the upcoming season. So, unless Irving can stay fit for the entire upcoming 2025-26 season, it’s hard to think that he can erase these worries around him and prove that he’s one of the best guards in the league.