“He’s a brother of mine” - Kyrie Irving expresses gratitude for Jaylen Brown’s support through his suspension
Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown
© Brad Penner - USA TODAY Sports
Kyrie Irving's Twitter saga earlier this season gripped the NBA world, inviting criticisms from various parties for his promotion of an anti-Semitic film. On the flip side, plenty of people also voiced their support for the embattled Brooklyn Nets point guard, including Jaylen Brown.
Ahead of the matchup between the Nets and Boston Celtics on Sunday, Irving opened up on Brown's notably vocal support and defense of his former teammate.
"He's a brother of mine," Irving said. "Grateful that we've built a relationship off the court."
Kai's relationship with JB
Irving's career has had many ups and downs, and his time in Boston is likely among the experiences he'd rather forget. The star playmaker wore the Celtics uniform for two seasons from 2017 to 2019 and had the chance to share the court with an upstart Brown. Irving mentioned that he couldn't get to know the former No. 3 pick "on a deeper level."
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The Celtics star also expounded on his relationship with Irving last season, stating that their relationship did begin with "a lot of bumps in the road." Even so, they've been able to connect off the court and become good friends sometime after the seven-time All-Star left to sign with the Nets in the 2019 offseason.
Their time together in Boston could certainly have gone better. Despite finding success in the regular seasons, the team couldn't get over the hump in the playoffs, failing to reach the Finals in either of the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns.
Divergent paths
Irving's decision to team up with close pal Kevin Durant had Celtics fans blasting the former champion for bailing out and not sticking through with it with Brown, Jayson Tatum, and company. However, his leaving may have been proven the Ewing Theory, as Boston has actually had better chances of contending for the championship without him.
Last season, the Celts were two games away from raising the Larry O'Brien Trophy, succumbing to the Golden State Warriors 4-2. This season, the franchise is sitting atop the Eastern Conference with a 19-5 record and a +8.1 point differential. It even has the best championship odds at the moment, according to Fanduel Sportsbook.
As for Irving, he has missed more than half of the Nets' games since 2019 due to injuries and different kinds of drama. In addition, he is no closer to winning a second championship now than when he was in Beantown. Well, at least he knows who his true friends are, including Brown.
