And just like that, this year’s NBA All-Star festivities have come and gone. After four quarters of dunks and highlight plays, the Western Conference dispatched the East in what proved to be a record-breaking total score, 192-182.
One of the more surprising takeaways from the weekend came from Cleveland Cavaliers superstar point guard, Kyrie Irving, who claimed that the Earth is flat on a recent podcast episode of Road Trippin’ with Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye.
Since then, all forms of media have been in a buzz over the comment. Irving’s teammates, however, have been coming to his defense.
It seems Irving was just trying to make a point. The crafty ball-handler pointed out how stories like this get more attention than more important world issues.
“I don’t know if you could even call it news,” Irving said during an interview before the All-Star game. “There’s so many real things going on. Like things that are going on that change the shape and the way of our lives. I think sometimes it get skewed because of who we are and the basketball world.”
“I know the science. I know everything possible. The fact that this can actually be real news, and you know, people actually ask me, ‘Its a social phenomenon, what do you think about it? Are you going to try to protect your image?’”
“It really doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t matter. The fact that its a conversation, I’m glad it got people talking. Kyrie actually thinks the world is flat…”
Today, on an episode of ESPN’s The Jump, “R.J.,” as Jefferson is affectionately known, sat down with Rachel Nichols, host of the show, and former Cavs Head Coach Byron Scott, to discuss and defend the opinions of his star point guard teammate.
“I think it was more to open people’s thoughts and people’s minds,” Jefferson said of Irving’s flat Earth comments. “And this is what I’ll say… It is a conspiracy theory that the Earth is flat, but you go around the room, and you talk to almost anybody, ‘Was 9-11 an inside job? Who shot JFK?'”
“You can go through all of the conspiracy theories you want, and there are a ton of them out there. And this is one of them. So, if these are his views, and these are his thoughts, then I respect them.”
“That’s what the podcast is about. It’s about giving guys an opportunity to put whatever (issue) they think is out there (on the show).”
Coach Scott, a three-time champion with the Los Angeles Lakers during their “Showtime” days, chimed in with his thoughts of Irving’s claims. Keep in mind that Scott coached Irving to Rookie of the Year honors.
“Kyrie is a very intelligent young man,” Coach Scott said of Irving. “And the thing that I tripped out about when I was listening to him say this was that he said it with such conviction; that he truly believes that.”
Richard Jefferson and Byron Scott react to Kyrie's "Earth is flat" comments on The Jump on ESPN pic.twitter.com/euCxd9By5d
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) February 20, 2017
Whatever shape Irving believes the Earth is, there is no doubt, he’ll always be loved by Cavaliers fans for his role in last year’s championship run.
