“If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here,“ Kyrie Irving spoke into the microphone in 2018. He was at TD Garden, wearing a Boston Celtics jersey. Fans cheered, he smiled and all was well. But good times don’t last forever, and the Celtics-Irving relationship proved the phrase right. Soon after his claim, a struggling Kyrie Irving‘s demeanor changed. This led to the start of a dramatic few months, and the nasty effects still last to this day. Despite the turmoil, Irving now seeks to make peace.

Treated to extreme hostility through the NBA Finals 2024, Kyrie poured his heart out about the messy break-up with the Celtics franchise. In an interview with Fox Sports, he expressed his desire to seek forgiveness and opened up to the world about why he left the Celtics. He said, “I would have loved to write a letter if possible, to not only the fans of Boston, but to the people in the organization, so they get a better understanding.” He wished to have opened up earlier and handled the situation better.

Despite this desire, Irving couldn’t open up and crush all the hate in 2019 because he didn’t know what and how to tell his story. He said, “I needed to learn the vocabulary.“ As history has it, Irving left the organization on a bitter note. Reports of his meeting with Kevin Durant, his erratic behavior with the press, and more stood as evidence of his motivation to leave the Celtics. But today, Irving revealed to the world that his supposed downfall started with the demise of his maternal grandfather. “When I lost him as the guiding light in the physical world, basketball was the last thing I was thinking about,“ he explained. Irving felt lost and couldn’t find joy in basketball.

Suffering silently, he felt understood by no one. Furthermore, staying away from the family, who resided in New York, made it worse. This pushed him to sign a contract with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019, leaving Boston provoked. He said, “I couldn’t stay in Boston to fulfill some of those responsibilities because my family was hurting, too. So, I took on the burden of being a man of my family, going back to New York.” 

Since then, Boston has labeled him a traitor but the Mavs star has grown. In retrospect, he wished to have handled the situation better. He understands the anger and seeks to end this bitter battle.

Kyrie Irving On Handling The Hate For Game 5

Through the course of this NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics fans have not shied away from Kyrie’s time on-court miserable. “F**k Kyrie“ chants have swept TD Garden while other fans have attacked him online. Reports suggested that Irving was rude to fans and showed them the finger. Furthermore, a video showed him promising his return to TD Garden for Game 5 – this is now happening. The city of Boston remains enraged and he is well aware of that.

Apart from bagging the win, Irving’s sole mission in Game 5 is to block out the noise. He is focused on leading the team Luka Doncic and is headstrong on not paying attention to the fans. He said, “They’re gonna do whatever they’re going to do. But my focus has always been on playing the best basketball that I can for my teammates.”

With game 5 inching closer, it will be interesting to see how Irving’s recent comments affect the Boston fans. Do you think they will find the heart to forgive him? Let us know in the comments below.

Before leaving, make sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about WNBA star rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.