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“I’m not going to tell a man what he can and can’t do!” Kevin Durant lashes out at critics who say he is ‘not a leader’ amid Kyrie Irving’s suspension as guard stays out after sharing anti-Semitic material
Kevin Durant has criticized detractors who claim he is not a leader as the Nets star plays without co-star Kyrie Irving due to the latter’s continued suspension.
Durant has performed well over the past seven games in Irving’s absence, scoring at least 26 points in each game and stabilizing the team to a 4-3 record in that span.
But Irving’s indefinite suspension from the team after promoting an anti-Semitic film on his Twitter account still hangs over the team like a cloud, and Durant was appalled by the idea that his teammate’s behavior reflected him.
Kevin Durant has taken on a major burden for the Nets with Kyrie Irving suspended
‘I’m not a leader? What the hell does that mean?’ he asked in an interview with Bleacher report.
“A lot of people say I’m not a leader because I didn’t tell Kyrie to get vaccinated. Come on. Or I didn’t judge Kyrie for leaving the team, going out and living his life. I’m not about to tell a grown man what he can and can’t do with his own life and dissect his views or how he feels about st…t.”
Irving’s current absence from the team – which was enforced after he shared the movie “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” to his Twitter and refused to say whether he had any anti-Semitic beliefs – comes after a turbulent 2021-22 season as well.
Irving played just 29 regular season games last season after refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and thus failing to meet New York’s private sector mandate.
Irving was suspended for at least five games, but that has now been seven
Only after that private ban was lifted was Irving able to participate in home games at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Still, Irving wasn’t the only source of stress for the Nets this year.
After the team’s first-round pick by the Celtics, Durant asked for a trade from the team, and reportedly demanded Steve Nash and Sean Marks will be fired later in the summer.
At the time, none of those demands were met (although Nash was fired earlier this month following the team’s 2-5 start), but Durant has revealed his motives for requesting a change of scenery.
“It wasn’t hard at all to request a trade because it was about ball,” he said.
“I went up to them and said, ‘Yo, I don’t like how we prepare. I don’t like shootings. I like practices. I need more. I want to work on more things. Hold me accountable. Get on my ass in the movie if it helps you get on everyone’s head. I want to do more closeouts. I want to work on more shell drills during training.”
“I had some complaints over the summer, and my complaints weren’t just about me; it was about how we move as a unit. I want us to be respected here in the basketball world,” he continued.
Joe Tsai previously claimed that Kyrie Irving “still has work to do” before returning from the ban
“I don’t want players looking at us and saying, ‘Oh man, this one [expletive] are full of St. That’s not the kind of team I want to be part of.’ So if we all play like this, you know the one person they’ll be looking at. That’s why I requested an exchange.’
While the current iteration of Brooklyn without Irving and a massively pared-down version of Ben Simmons certainly has a ceiling, Durant insists he’s happy to lead the sloppy bunch around him with Jacque Vaughn, now the team’s regular coach.
“It was fun grinding with these guys. It was fun grinding with Jacque,” he said Tuesday despite a big loss for the Kings.
“It was fun using myself to help everyone get better. I’m learning the game more and seeing all kinds of crazy defenses every night. I never know how a team is going to guard me. This helps me mentally as a player to see things a little slower, to play a little slower.’
While the Nets have one more game to play in Portland to complete their current road trip, it remains to be seen when – and if – Irving will rejoin the group.
Owner Joe Tsai, who was with the team earlier in the trip, said Irving “still has work to do” when asked about the prospects of the guard’s return.
The Nets face the Blazers at 10 PM ET on Thursday.