Kyrie Irving has a lot of problems with the media. He believes they are constantly out to get him and that they don't want him to succeed. Following the Nets' embarrassing loss to the Celtics in the playoffs, Kyrie had a lot to say on social media about the press, claiming that they are making billions off of his name. It was a very interesting stance to take, and it is one that certainly got the attention of Stephen A. Smith.
"When I see my name or my brothers/sisters names getting spun through the media, I refer to all my research about who they are. Their job is to CONTROL PUBLIC PERCEPTION, all while profiting off discussing, discrediting, and disrespecting people’s lives for entertainment," Irving wrote. "I send shots at the puppet masters, not the puppets. All puppets do is run around society, trying to gain popularity and state opinions. What a life! My name is worth billions to these media corporations. My brothers and sisters who deal with this know exactly what I mean."
Today, Kendrick Perkins spoke about Kyrie's outburst and told him to stop it. In fact, Perkins brought up the mentality of Kobe Bryant, and how Kobe would be disappointed in Kyrie. Some might find this to be a low blow especially since Kobe is Kyrie's idol, and the man isn't even here to comment on such a matter.
"To see Kyrie to come out and lash out, all the time his cop out is going at media," Perkins said. "Let me attack the media. Why you didn't attack Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart?"
Either way, it is clear that Kyrie has really struck a chord here. He is a polarizing player, and that will not change anytime soon.