The NBA has set in motion the plan to play the games again by the end of July, which LeBron James is all for wholeheartedly. However, it appears that the season restart does not excite all NBA players, as made clear by Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets. Irving's latest fight is something that he takes pleasure on, reports said.
Irving as the No. 2 in the NBPA made sound arguments on his reluctance for the players to head to Orland next month and pick up from where the league had left off when the games came to a pause in March. He feared the coronavirus pandemic is still out control, and the players could be at risk of exposure to the disease.
More importantly, the Nets point guard does not see it as a good picture for the NBA to resume playing while protests on racial inequality and social injustices are raging in many parts of America.
In other words, Irving is taking on a position that, for many in the NBA, is proving unpopular. And the one person who will certainly disapprove of the stand is none other than James, Clutch Points said, picking up on the report by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
"There's significant support to resume the season among the league's superstars - most of whom are on playoff contenders - and Irving seems to be relishing the clash," Wojnarowski was reported as saying.
To recall, Irving demanded to be traded by Cleveland, and supposedly the reason was he wanted to be a star in his own right and not under the huge shadow of James. So there was no love lost between the two former Cavaliers and it would that Irving is extending whatever rivalry he felt in going against his former teammate.
The division that the Nets star is causing seemed not worrisome at the moment as reports said that out of over 100 players he invited for the Zoom conference Friday last week, only 20% agreed to his position.
Those who disagreed but not necessarily on the call include Kendrick Perkins, who played with Irving in Cleveland, and according to Cavaliers Nation, the two were not exactly the best of friends.
There were several instances in the past that Perkins had criticized his former teammate, whom he scored for displaying apathy with colleagues in a team. Again, Perkins was critical of Irving when the latter was voted in February as the vice of the NBPA.
Now the latest stand being espoused by Irving did not sit well with the big man. He thought Irving's take on the situation is just plain polarizing.
"He's started unnecessary drama between the NBA brothers which is something we don't need right now," Perkins posted on Twitter.
