Kyrie Irving Makes Retirement Confession After Voicing Concern About NBA’s ‘Rampant’ Gambling, Social Media Issue
Kyrie Irving says he will decide over the next few seasons whether the modern NBA, changed by rampant gambling and social media, is still worth it.Summary
Kyrie Irving, entering his 14th NBA season with the Dallas Mavericks after missing all of 2025-26 with an ACL tear, said Monday that he will use the next few seasons to decide whether the modern NBA is still worth it. He cited social media and gambling as "running rampant," saying the league is "not the same NBA that I fell in love with as a kid" and has become "less human" and "more robotic." Irving stressed his "eternal flame" for basketball still burns, but he wants to be present for his family and does not necessarily share the longevity goals of players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. He noted that when he entered the league in 2011 there were no "tipping and gambling meetings" and mental health was a "foreign subject." Gambling has touched his career directly, including hostile taunting from Celtics fans during the 2022 playoffs and a warning from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski about gambling making arenas more hostile. Social media has also followed him, with a 2022 BetOnline ranking naming him the NBA's most hated player on Twitter in 28 states. Irving, who in 2018 hoped to be done by his early-to-mid 30s, is now 34. For now, he is excited to play alongside Cooper Flagg, and the retirement question concerns the next few years, not the next few months.
(Source：Essentially Sports)