Regretful Kyrie Irving Reveals Why He Stayed Silent For 5 Years During Messy Boston Celtics Breakup

“If you get me back, I plan to re-sign here,” Kyrie Irving spoke on the microphone in 2018. He was at TD Garden, wearing a Boston Celtics jersey. The fans cheered, he smiled and everything was fine. But good times don’t last forever, and the Celtics-Irving relationship proved the phrase right. Shortly after his claim, troubled Kyrie Irving’s behavior changed. This led to the start of a dramatic few months, and the damaging effects continue to this day. But Irving wants to make peace.

Treated with extreme hostility during the 2024 NBA Finals, Kyrie opened up fully about the complicated breakup with the Celtics franchise. In an interview with Fox Sports, he expressed his desire to seek forgiveness and told the world why he left the Celtics. He said, “I would have loved to write a letter if possible, not only to the Boston fans, but also to the people in the organization, so they would understand better.” He would have liked to open up sooner and handle the situation better.

Irving couldn’t open up and squash all the hate in 2019 because he didn’t know what and how to tell his story. He said, “I needed to learn the vocabulary.” As the story goes, Irving left the organization on a sour note. Reports of his meeting with Kevin Durant, his erratic behavior with the press, etc., speak to his motivation to leave the Celtics. But today, Irving revealed to the world that his supposed downfall began with the death of his maternal grandfather. “When I lost him as a beacon of the physical world, basketball was the last thing on my mind,” he explained. Irving felt lost and couldn’t find joy in basketball.

Suffering in silence, he felt understood by no one. Additionally, staying away from family, who resided in New York, made the situation worse. This prompted him to sign a contract with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019, leaving Boston provoked. He said, “I couldn’t stay in Boston to take on some of these responsibilities because my family was suffering too. So I took on the burden of being a family man and returning to New York.

Since then, Boston has called him a traitor, but the Mavs star has grown. In retrospect, he wished he had handled the situation better. He understands the anger and seeks to end this bitter battle.

Kyrie Irving on handling hate for Game 5

During this NBA Finals, Boston Celtics fans didn’t mind seeing Kyrie miserable on the court. “F**k Kyrie” chants swept through TD Garden while other fans attacked him online. Reports suggest that Irving was rude to fans and pointed the finger at them. Additionally, a video showed him promising his return to TD Garden for Game 5 – this is happening now. The city of Boston remains furious and he is well aware of it.

Besides getting the win, Irving’s only mission in Game 5 is to block out the noise. He focuses on leading the team Luka Doncic and tries not to pay attention to the fans. He said, “They will do whatever they do. But my goal has always been to play the best basketball possible for my teammates.

Heading into Game 5, it will be interesting to see how Irving’s recent comments affect Boston fans. Do you think they will find the heart to forgive him? Let us know in the comments below.