“If you don’t want to be here, leave.”
It’s a common phrase you’ll hear uttered in meetings taking place all over the world. In our boardrooms, factories, and most certainly in our locker rooms in the world of athletics.
And it’s a phrase Kyrie Irving needs to hear.
ESPN show host Stephen A. Smith, who is both co host of “First Take” and host of his new show “Stephen A’s World” said Brooklyn Nets star, Kyrie Irving, should retire this morning. And he’s right.
I think Kyrie Irving should announce his retirement today. https://t.co/JywIDk60E2
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 13, 2021
While Kyrie may be one of the best doing it on a basketball court today, he has clearly demonstrated that his priority isn’t basketball right now. And that’s fine. This is a free country.
Just don’t expect to collect millions of dollars doing so or setting back a group of professional teammates in the process. That’s not fair to the athletes sharing that locker room with you and it’s certainly not fair to the fans.
But we can’t be certain that Kyrie Irving knows that. I believe he’s in a different world right now. He’s only looking out for himself.
There are hundreds of thousands of athletes all over the world that would do anything to switch places with Kyrie Irving right now, and his unprofessional behavior at this point, which also includes attending a party maskless during a pandemic, is an insult to everyone.
Retire.
If you don’t want to be here, leave.