Ghosts of Kyrie Irving’s Past Haunt Him After Securing 4th NBA Finals Trip: “Hasn’t Been Easy to Find Joy”

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving‘s 13th year in the NBA seems to be full of highs. Along with Luka Doncic, he has been instrumental in leading the franchise from the very first game until the playoffs. The duo’s hard work has paid off, as the Mavericks have now secured a spot in the NBA Finals for the first time in 13 years. While Irving finally seems to have found his home among the Texas team, the journey to this point hasn’t been easy.

It was pretty evident in his conversations with the ESPN sportscaster Scott Van Pelt right after the conclusion of Game 5 against the T-Wolves. The interviewer highlighted that he had observed a certain amount of “joy” in the athlete’s playing style that seemed missing before his tenure with the Dallas Mavericks. Irving agreed with this assessment, stating that the past couple of years were filled with some traumatic events that prevented him from finding joy in basketball.

“I’ve lost some pretty close people to me in the past few years. It hasn’t been easy to find joy in the game of basketball when you have some real-life stuff going on,” said Irving. “I’ve dealt with a lot of naysayers, a lot of chaos around my name that’s untrue, and I’ve had to answer that call, and I’ve had to deal with the criticism as best I can as a man.” The Mavericks star stated that the mission he has embarked on is more significant than the game of basketball itself. By playing on the court, he is reportedly looking to represent his god, his ancestors, and the people worldwide who support him.

Definitely, the last five years for Irving was a period he wouldn’t want to relive. It all started in 2019 when he decided to leave the Boston Celtics after two years. This move laid the foundation of a hostile rivalry that continues even today. From a Celtics fan throwing a water bottle towards the player to the latter pointing out his middle finger during a game at TD Garden, the animosity between Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics will be remembered for ages.

The player also didn’t have much luck with his next team, the Brooklyn Nets. During the three and a half seasons he spent in Brooklyn, Irving received criticism from the media over his mistakes. Everything he did or promoted was under scrutiny, be it his alleged promotion of antisemitism or his refusal to get vaccinated. Along with this, his performance on the court was pretty challenged from time to time.

By November 2022, the Nets had suspended the player for five games on the claim that Irving did not “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.” A few reports listed this suspension as the reason he chose to put his name out for a trade by the end of the season.

Even before all of these issues began, Irving lost an individual in 2018 who he admired a lot: his grandfather. Describing how things got rocky for him since then, the player would later state, “After he passed, basketball was the last thing on my mind.” These “ghosts” of Kyrie Irving’s past had scarred the player somehow. However, having overcome all that, he has found peace and entered the 4th NBA Finals of his 13-year career.

Stephen A. Smith, another ghost of Kyrie Irving’s past, recently apologized

Amongst the “naysayers” the 32-year-old player faced, no one was as prominent as the renowned sports personality Stephen A. Smith. He was the NBA star’s most vocal critic back in 2021 when Irving had been absent from several NBA games due to “personal reasons.” Furthermore, amidst all the other controversies dominating the player’s mind, Smith would go on to state that “I think Kyrie Irving should retire. I think he should announce his retirement today.” He also stated this belief that Irving is not amongst those who “prioritized basketball.” However, after three years of this feud, the sportscaster recently decided to keep the past in the past.

Smith also posted a 10-minute video titled ‘Kyrie, I Apologize’ on his official YouTube channel. It featured the 56-year-old pointing out his role in extending this pointless feud and how he probably wouldn’t have even found his way if it wasn’t for ‘Inside the NBA’ host Kenny Smith. “Kyrie Irving obviously has gone through so much,” said Smith, adding, “You look at those situations, you just found yourself saying, ‘Damn, this is a bad situation. It’s really bad.’ And Kyrie’s name was written all over it, and then he lost the sneaker deal and all he had was basketball.”

With the Mavericks set to face off against the Boston Celtics in the upcoming NBA Finals, one of Kyrie’s Irving ‘Ghost’ is set to revisit him again. Therefore, it remains to be seen how the player will deal with that situation. What are your thoughts about Irving’s difficulties? Let us know in the comments.