“If Shaq Got His Jersey Retired in Orlando..”: Ex-NBA Stars Debate Kyrie Irving’s Cleveland Honor

A few hours ago, former Washington Wizards player Gilbert Arenas released another episode of his ‘Gil’s Arena’ show. Along with his co-host Josiah Johnson, the episode also featured former Denver Nuggets star Kenyon Martin. Amid the conversation, Johnson highlighted the recent Dallas Mavericks vs Cleveland Cavaliers faceoff, during which Kyrie Irving had to face off against his former team.

By calling Kenyon Martin a “big Kyrie fan”, Johnson proceeded to ask the former #1 Draft Pick whether Irving deserves to have his jersey retired by the Cavaliers. Martin didn’t have to ponder for too long on the question and answered quickly with a clear and resounding “No”. When asked why, he stated that Irving did some wonderful things during his time with the team, but he did not devote enough time there to warrant a jersey. Martin held this view even though the 8x NBA All-Star devoted 6 years to the team.

“If he had been there longer if he had more numbers and more wins and certain things on his belt during that time, then it’s up for discussion,” said Martin.

When Gilbert Arenas was asked the same question, he highlighted how former point guard Mark Price spent 9 years with the Cavaliers and had his jersey retired, even though the team never won an NBA championship during his tenure. Arenas used a championship ring as the foundation to justify supporting Irving, stating that “the guy that bring you a championship and hit big shots for you” is him.

“If Shaq got his jersey retired in Orlando, then you know….” said Arenas, using O’Neal’s recent jersey retirement as a way to justify his point.

The Wizards star’s viewpoint may have stemmed from the fact that Shaquille O’Neal spent only 4 years with Orlando but still received the ultimate honor. According to the team’s CEO Alex Martins, this was done because “Shaq put the Orlando Magic on the map. And the foundation of his Hall of Fame career started right here in Orlando.” By that reasoning, Irving supposedly deserves to share his name amongst the Cavaliers elites since his contribution in 2016 helped the team secure their first and only championship title.

Donovan Mitchell backs Kyrie Irving to receive the ultimate honor

The decision to have Kyrie Irving’s jersey retired by the Cleveland Cavaliers has been a matter of debate for quite some time now. Many people have voiced their opinion on the same, including current Cavaliers point guard Donovan Mitchell.

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During a recent post-game press conference, the 27-year-old voiced his opinion on the long-running question by making use of the same reasoning as Gilbert Arenas.

“Obviously, what he has done in the playoffs in his career and in Cleveland, where he brought the city a championship, I feel like him, K-Love (Kevin Love), and Bron (LeBron James) should all have their jerseys retired,” said Mitchell. “I think he should definitely have it retired”.

Do you believe that Kyrie Irving should have his jersey retired by the Cleveland Cavaliers? Let us know in the comments down below.