Nets star Kyrie Irving says he will ‘never’ stop playing, admits to regrets after last season

Kyrie Irving has claimed he will ‘never’ stop playing basketball amid years-long discussion as to whether the thought-provoking star will imminently quit the NBA. 

Irving squashed any speculation surrounding his future in a wide-ranging interview with ESPN’s Nick Friedell.

The former Cleveland Cavalier and Boston Celtic also discussed his regrets from last season and his will to win.  

‘I’m never going to stop playing,’ Irving said. ‘You hear me? 

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has claimed he will ‘never’ stop playing basketball

‘Get that — I am never going to stop playing. This is not even a debate. It’s not a consideration.’

Irving was then questioned further, with his broad interests cited as a reason for why speculation such as that may exist.    

‘For sure..[But] I want to maximize on all those opportunities… and to be a bridge,’ Irving replied. 

‘So I can bring people to show what it’s like to play at this level, what it’s like to be at this level, teach the youth…what it’s like to get to this level, to be a professional. I feel like I was a professional since 8 years old, 9 years old, because I was doing it more than I was going to school. 

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The one-time NBA champion dazzled in spurts during the Nets’ preseason win over Milwaukee

‘I was doing it more than I was hanging out with my friends, hanging out with my family, I was doing it day and night… it was a passion, but I also chose that.

‘It’s a great partnership with the NBA and I appreciate being a player here. And there are goals that I have outside of the NBA, but as of right now, I’m just focused on this.’

While Irving may be in love with basketball — he says it has never left him — the Australian-born star had it partially taken away from him due to vaccination mandates in New York and other states last season. 

Irving did not say he regretted his stance of being unvaccinated, nor did he hint at it, but instead admitted he did wish certain things from last year were different. 

Irving became an even more polarizing figure in the wake of vaccine pressures and mandates

‘I’d be lying to you as a human being [if I said I didn’t],’ Irving said when asked if he had any regrets looking back on last year.

‘I think we all think about times we could have made better decisions, and times we wish we could have done things differently and I feel the same way at times throughout my life. 

‘I legitimately just want to play the long game and not put too much pressure on myself or the people that I’m around.

‘This is something that I get to do every day. We say it as a cliché sometimes, but nah, we just let the play handle [itself] — enjoy the season, and then after that, we’ll go back and look at some of this reflection time and talk about these things in deeper detail, but as of right now that can’t be my focus.’

Irving has seemed jovial of late as he and Kevin Durant ready for the imminent NBA season

Irving and the Nets ready for another expectation-filled season as Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons look to help bring a third title to the franchise. Irving wants to win, make no mistake, but he will go about it in his own unique way.

‘I have great aspirations of leaving a legacy in this league and however many years that takes me is — that’s laid out [ahead of me],’ he continued. 

‘But in the meantime, I just want to build with people in this industry and win together. I want this to feel like a dream that we all can share. 

‘And that’s not just only with my Nets, but people that we’re going to be going against. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a fun ride. So I’m looking forward to that enjoyment as well, more importantly.’

A refreshed Irving, alongside virtual new recruit Ben Simmons, could ensure a winning formula