The NBA 75 list had its ups and downs. While there were some deserving players on the list, fans felt some greats should have made the cut. However, there weren’t many in favor of former NBA champion Kyrie Irving. As one of the craftiest scorers to come into the league, Irving’s respect has taken a dip because of his ways of thinking. However, league veteran Andre Iguodala, believes Kyrie should be in the conversation for the top 20 players of all time on his skill alone.

While Irving receives a lot of slander for not getting in line with the norms of the league, his true skill gets ignored. Irving has proved to be one of the best players of this generation. Coming in as a former number one overall pick, KAI has delivered on all the expectations. Moreover, his personal accolades are enough to rival some of the greats in the game.

While people may argue for him to become a top 75 player, Iguodala took things to another level. The Warriors star believes Irving is one of the best 20 players ever to have graced the NBA.

Iguodala defends statement over KAI

With Kyrie’s omission from the NBA 75 list, Iguodala was not a happy customer. He took to Twitter to make a statement that had fans going wild. He said Irving is one of the best 20 players to come around in the league. Now, while speaking on his podcast, the former NBA champion explained his point of view. Iguodala believes Kyrie’s way of thinking shouldn’t hamper his status for being one of the greats of the game.

Iguodala said: “As you know, my comments on Kyrie being top 20 ever. Just the notion of people throwing shade on his game because of him thinking the way he thinks, whatever you want to call it, outside-the-box, different, abstract. Whatever you want to call it, he thinks different. I get upset when people try to hold that against his game.” He continued, “I have a lot of arguments, like who’s better, this guy or Kyrie. And they’re like, “This guy because he plays 82 games. I’m like, ‘Listen man, we’re talking about pure basketball right now.'”

While fans may not take well to this, Iguodala’s point has two sides. First, Kyrie’s beliefs may vary from the general public. However, that can’t be a reason to take away from what he has done within the realm of basketball. KAI was responsible for pulling off one of the sports’ greatest comebacks. Moreover, he is still on top of the cliff despite all the hate he has received. He is a mentally strong superstar who trusts his game and beliefs.

READ MORE-LeBron James on Losing the 2011 NBA Finals: ?I Wanted To Prove Everybody Wrong and I Literally Lost Myself? We Lost Because I Wasn?t Even There?

On the other hand, availability does become an issue. There is no doubt Irving has all the skills to be a great player. But not showing up when needed takes away from it. In the current situation. Irving is not at fault for not falling in line with the regulations. However, based on his basketball accolades, is he a top 20 player?

Is Kyrie Irving in the top 20?

Irving came into the league as the number one overall draft pick. With all the pressure riding on, Irving did not disappoint. However, his true game started showing when LeBron James made his iconic return to the Cavaliers. After losing to the Warriors in the prior year, Irving put on a masterclass in the 2016 NBA finals.

Taking on a record-breaking Golden State Warriors with Iguodala, LeBron and Kyrie pulled off the impossible. Averaging 27 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, Irving helped James to complete a 3-1 comeback. the duo set many records along the way through the finals series.

Additionally, Irving is a seven-time All-Star and has been a member of the All-NBA teams three times in his career so far. He won the All-Star MVP in 2014 and his skill remains to be one of the purest in the basketball world. Do you think Kyrie Irving deserved to be on the NBA 75 list?