Kyrie Irving caused a lot of controversy earlier this week. The Brooklyn Nets’ guard refused to do his media sessions and was fined for doing the same.

Many NBA analysts have slammed Kyrie Irving for doing so. But the guard is not relenting on his stance, taking to his Instagram to call members in the media ‘pawns’. It is fair to say the reception of Kyrie’s antics has not been positive.

Blazers player Damian Lillard decided to have some fun at Kyrie Irving’s expense. When Kyrie took to Instagram Live earlier today, Dame went to the comments to tell Kyrie to fulfill his media obligations.

“Ky bra, do your media sessions 😂😂😂”.

It is clear that Dame decided to poke fun at Irving in a situation where most have called foul on his antics.

While Lillard had a humorous response to Irving’s debacle, the media have not been happy with it. There are many NBA analysts who have dubbed him selfish and disrespectful for refusing to talk to the media. Even former players have weighed in on the situation, suggesting that Kyrie must oblige as interacting with the media is part of being an NBA player.

Kyrie Irving not a fan of the media

While there are no doubts about Kyrie’s abilities as a player, many have questioned his attitude in the past. His move to leave Cleveland and join the Celtics was heavily scrutinized due to his fallout with LeBron James. However, when the Celtics performed better without Irving in the NBA playoffs than with him, questions were raised about Irving’s impact on an NBA team.

Additionally, Irving consistently has moments where he doesn’t come across well. Many point to his comments about the earth being flat as a clear sign of his poor perception. Additionally, his comments earlier this year on Kevin Durant’s podcast that suggested that he didn’t trust LeBron to take the closing shot in a close game didn’t sit well with the media.

Irving has a complex relationship with the media. He believes that they consistently manipulate what he says in order to garner views and interest. Therefore, his abstinence from the media was to send a message that he wouldn’t allow that to happen anymore.