Whether it was meant to be a direct shot at anyone else, Kyrie Irving's thoughts on Brad Stevens' intellect compared to past coaches are odd.
Irving joined UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma's podcast last week and opened up about another reason for his move to the Celtics from the Cavaliers. Auriemma asked him about his experience being coached by Brad Stevens.
"Brad fits perfectly in terms of that because he has an intellectual mind and is an intellectual human being," Irving told Auriemma. "It was something I was unbelievably craving in terms of what I wanted for my career."
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The "unbelievably craving" part of that quote led many to believe it was a shot at Irving's previous coaches, like current Cavs coach Tyronn Lue and former Cavs coaches David Blatt and Byron Scott. One of those people was ESPN broadcaster and former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy, and Van Gundy called Irving out for the comments during the broadcast of Cavs-Wizards Friday night on ESPN.
Van Gundy coached Lue in 2004 when both were with the Rockets. He said during the game broadcast he thought Irving's comments were unfair to Lue.
“If it was said like that, that’s demeaning to his intellect, both as a coach and a person, and I don’t think it’s fair," Van Gundy said in a conversation with his broadcast partner Mike Breen.
Van Gundy didn't call into question Irving's other questionable beliefs, like his flat-earther stance. In the same podcast with Auriemma, Irving claimed that there is "not one real picture of Earth."