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After a very tumultuous season last year due to vaccine restrictions and the James Harden trade, Kyrie Irving is preparing for a full season with the Nets. Despite an offseason that saw Kevin Durant request a trade and Irving potentially cost himself a $100 million extension in part due to his desire to remain unvaccinated, the point guard confirmed that he is not thinking about retirement.
In an interview with ESPN’s Nick Friedell, Irving explained his thought process entering this season.
“I'm never going to stop playing. You hear me? Get that—I am never going to stop playing. This is not even a debate. It's not a consideration,” he said.”
Irving claims that he wants to use his status as a basketball star to help younger people.
“I want to maximize on all those opportunities, to get to know people on this level. On other levels—and to be a bridge,” he said. “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.”
Irving opted into the final year of the four-year, $136 million contract that he signed with Brooklyn in the 2019 offseason. He was also at the center of trade discussions with the Lakers, although nothing came of those talks.
