There aren't many people out there who would admit to appreciating Kyrie Irving at this point in the eight-time All-Star's career. Celtics star Jaylen Brown isn't most people.
Irving's talent has never been questioned, but his insistence on playing the blame game every time he goes through a breakup with his previous franchise can best be described as obnoxious. It happened most recently with the Nets, who stuck with him through his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and his failure to apologize for promoting an anti-Semitic film, all while he played in just 143 of a possible 298 games.
It became a trend, however, when he was a member of the Celtics. His teammates have even admitted to not enjoying the antics as they were happening.
"Me and Kyrie didn't really see eye to eye when we was here," Jaylen Brown told Logan Murdock of The Ringer. "Really at all."
That hasn't stuck in the long run, however. Brown and Irving have become friendly since the point guard departed Boston in 2019.
"He reached out to me, kind of let me know what his experience was when he was in Boston," what he was feeling," Brown continued. "And I understood what he was going through personally. So, life is a journey. We all got ups and downs. And most of all, we don't always handle everything in the perfect media-appropriate demeanor. Kyrie, one thing about him, he going to be who he is. I appreciate that."
It's an interesting stance from Brown, but comes from a place of knowledge that not many have. The two spent two seasons together and saw one another go through major career and life changes. The public opinion on the two may not be glowingly positive, but it is amongst one another.
