Kyrie Irving fires back at former Nets teammate Kevin Durant's claim about commitment

Kevin Durant recently appeared on the "Mind the Game" podcast with LeBron James and Steve Nash. The 2013-14 MVP made headlines over comments he made while discussing his Brooklyn Nets tenure with his former head coach, where he claimed that they were the only two that were committed to winning.

Kyrie Irving revealed that he would address the comments on stream. The nine-time All-Star did just that as he fired back at his former co-star suggesting that he wasn't committed.

"When he said this, emotionally, I was like, okay," Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving claimed Tuesday. "We're all committed to the goal at the end of the day, but sometimes not everybody's going to follow what you want them to do. I wish I had my soundboard for this, but not everybody's going to do what you want them to do."

Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp

"I've had to accept that as a human being and as a leader -- not everybody's going to do what you want them to do," Irving continued. "Not everybody's going to be committed the way you want them to be committed. And it's not like K is asking me for this, but I asked for this commitment before I committed to Brooklyn from him, which was a beautiful thing. I'm like, 'yo, let's commit to this thing, we can build up Brooklyn and we can really put Brooklyn on the map. Nobody's been thinking about Brooklyn. But when he said that, I'm like, bro, Steve wasn't even in the play yet."

Irving added that Durant was responsible for Nash being hired. He noted that things going on behind the scenes made the situation weird for everybody involved.

The superstar point guard's decision not to take the COVID-19 vaccine led many to claim that he wasn't truly serious about winning a championship. While he was suspended to begin the 2021-22 season, Irving ultimately held firm on his stance.

His decision contributed to James Harden asking for a trade and ultimately being dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers. Irving, Durant and Nash all saw their tenure with the Nets end the following season.

More NBA: Kyrie Irving clears air on relationship with Kevin Durant, playing together with Nets