Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving unleashed a fiery critique of former NBA players who have become media members during a viral Twitch rant on Saturday.
It seems the 9-time NBA All-Star isn’t a fan of the older generation of players criticizing the current state of the league.
Irving, whose season ended earlier this month after an Achilles injury, accused them of losing touch with the game and unfairly criticizing today’s athletes.
“Don’t even get me started on the former players that are gossiping now that love to s— on players too,” Irving fumed. “Please don’t even get me started, bro. Do ya’ll remember when I was on ‘Inside the NBA,’ right? When I stood up there with Kenny, Shaq and Ernie and Charles. I’m sitting up there after they just talked s—.”
“And I’m talking to some of the former players, too. They have lost their way,” he continued. “There are some former players who just be talking chat s—. You don’t even be talking about anything. All you do is hate on the younger players.
Kyrie Irving rants about old players in the media:
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) March 23, 2025
"They have lost their way. There are some former players that just chat shit, don't talk about anything and just hate on younger players. You see somebody you admire go on TV and say 'get over it because you make more money'… pic.twitter.com/IR12HWpzur
Kyrie Irving To Older Players: Stop Disrespecting Us Young Guys
Kyrie Irving, the 32-year-old All-Star guard, called out ex-players for what he sees as hypocritical “hating” on the younger generation.
He’s urging them to stop living through current stars and recognize basketball’s evolution beyond their own eras.
If anything, though, the game has very tangibly devolved.
The NBA clearly has problems. Their ratings are in the tank for a reason.
Everybody in the league is chucking up threes, the biggest star is a serial flopper, terrible officiating is prevalent, and boring play with no defense in sight are just a handful of problems plaguing the Association.
RELATED: Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards Says Players From Dream Team Era Didn’t Have Skill
The Older Generation Can Criticize Because They Were Better
Kyrie Irving’s rant has the same feel as Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards who said older generations of basketball players didn’t have the same level of skill as the newer generation.
“How do you think your generation of basketball is different from older generations?” he was asked.
“I didn’t watch it back in the day so I can’t speak on it. They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don’t think anybody had skill back then,” he responded.
“[Michael Jordan] was the only one that really had skill, you know what I mean? So that’s why when they saw Kobe, they were like, ‘Oh, my God.’ But now everybody has skill,” he added.
Magic Johnson, who definitely had some skill, absolutely nuked Edwards over the comments.
“I never respond to a guy who’s never won a championship,” Magic said. “[Edwards] didn’t win a college championship, I don’t even know if he won a high school championship.”
"I never respond to a guy who's never won a championship… He didn't win a college championship, I don't even know if he won a high school championship."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 25, 2024
Magic Johnson didn't hold back while responding to Anthony Edwards' comments 👀😳
(via https://t.co/gnCFAy8D5B / IG) pic.twitter.com/8KUrvm4vZw
Perhaps the older guys wouldn’t constantly poke fun at the newer generation of players if they were actually more talented than those playing in their era.
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