$25,000,000 Worth Former Michael Jordan Teammate Has Ultimate Praise for Kyrie Irving: “I Knew I Had To Retire”

Kyrie Irving is no stranger to controversies. The 8-time All Star has made headlines for various reasons over his 12-year journey in the NBA. However, one thing that always remained constant was Irving’s outstanding offensive ability, especially his ball handling.

When it comes to creativity, Irving is unparalleled. His shot creation and spacing makes the 31-year-old truly special. He has often driven to the paint in the most unbelievable manner, using jaw-dropping moves throughout his tenured NBA career. While breaking ankles has become Irving’s habit, his ball handling also ended a career few years ago.

Kyrie Irving ends a career

Brendan Haywood made quite a career for himself in the NBA, winning the championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. The 7-foot center had a terrific defensive presence during his time in the league. The $25M worth former Washington Wizard shared the locker room with Kyrie Irving in his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, a moment with Irving made him rethink his whole position in the league.

In a recent interview with former teammate Gilbert Arenas, Haywood had some great words for Irving’s skill: “First of all, Kyrie’s handle is crazy. He’s probably the best handler that ever come to the league….he got it all.”

“Kyrie is just searching for your weakness. Some guys….Kyrie, it’s just so simple for him…..guys like that, there’s no scouting report.”

Haywood also mentioned his “Kyrie moment” during practice that made him consider retirement right away. “Obviously, my last year in Cleveland, back when I was really blocking shots….we on a fastbreak and I’m like I’m about to time Kyrie up….he Euro’ed the other way but I kept going straight. So I ran out of bounds, into Mike Miller’s arms….I don’t need the sarcasm right now, I’m trying to find my knees,” he hilariously stated.

Haywood further added, “And at that moment I was like, yo, these young guys are coming and I don’t have any brakes anymore. That’s my Kyrie moment, I was like yeah, I’m about done.”

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Haywood had a humbling experience with Irving that made him consider retirement. Eight years after this incident, Irving is still catching bodies on the court.

Uncle Drew is a wizard

Kyrie Irving is an absolute wizard on the basketball court. The former NBA champion has made it a reputation to make plays that shock the world. He is nothing short of a walking highlight reel himself.

The Dallas Mavericks star has been in the league for over a decade now. Yet, his moves still seem unstoppable. His extraordinary skill has made him one of the most popular players in the league. However, he will have to put his offensive mastery to work again for the Mavericks in the upcoming season.

With Luka Doncic needing another ball handler to take the load off of him, Irving can serve the purpose better than anyone in the league.

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The ball handling maestro will have a tough task of being the second scoring option on a deep Mavericks roster. Given his skill and reputation however, the job may not seem so difficult for the 31-year-old. After Brendan Haywood, Irving may make some other players in the league consider retirement with his wizardry this season too.