Kyrie Irving’s 2022-23 season has been a bumpy ride. The Dallas star time and again landed in the eye of the tornado, facing suspension for his comment on the documentary, Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America. Irving, in the second half of the season, hijacked the media for over a month amid his controversial trade to the Dallas Mavericks. Even after all the antics, fans defended Irving when a veteran NBA analyst took a dig at him on live TV.

The blockbuster Mavs trade didn’t turn fruitful for the franchise, as they failed to make it to the postseason even after Irving’s inclusion. The point guard goes free agent in the offseason, and the rising media attention on his future trade prompted Irving to send out a message to his fans, which didn’t sit well with a veteran ESPN NBA analyst. 

Stephen A. Smith slams Kyrie Irving on live TV

In response to the heightened speculation on the star’s future trade, Kyrie Irving took to his Instagram Live and passed on a message to his fans. He said, “I’m a free agent this summer, but I’m in no rush to make a decision… they’re [Media personalities] talking about potential teams that I’m going to… Respectfully, please stop paying attention to that?” He also accused the analysts of mixing up politics and lifestyle with basketball in their shows. 

However, these claims didn’t sit well with ESPN’s senior analyst Stephen A. Smith, as he went haywire on national television. He said, “Respectfully, to Kyrie Irving, who doesn’t want us talking about him, don’t play basketball.”

He also dismissed Irving’s claim that analysts mix politics with sports. He retaliated, “We talk about basketball…Only him seems to be somebody that would take offense to that.”

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Despite all the noise, fans still eagerly wait for the star’s next franchise. Moreover, the star also took a dig at the hate comments directed at him on social media. 

Fans defend Irving amid the trade speculations

In response to A. Smith’s harsh take on national TV, fans swarmed the social media comments section defending the star. One user said, “Let this man live.” Following are some reactions from NBA fans.

“Why do you have to always pick on kyrie stephen A”

“We don’t want to hear you talk about Kyrie all summer again.”

“That’s not what he said stop twisting.”

“Get off KIY”

“yall talk about everything but basketball when it comes to kyrie”

“kyrie prolly laughs with his friends ab stephen a”

Of course, fans have to wait for the official announcement in the off-season for the star’s future franchise.

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What do you make of Stephen A. Smith’s take on Kyrie Irving’s statement to his fans? Let us know in the comments below.