Earlier this year, I wrote about how everyone needs their ego. While everyone needs that fire to push themselves, one thing I failed to mention is that there is a such thing as having too much of an ego. We’ve all met people who think too highly of themselves and think they know everything. Instead of letting their work speak for themselves, these people attempt to shift all of the attention to them. They tend to take themselves too seriously and wreak havoc among their associates as they exalt themselves above others. Current Brooklyn Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving exhibits this type of ego.
Irving grew up in West Orange, New Jersey. With the loss of his mother at just four years of age, his father raised he and his two sisters. Irving’s love of basketball formed at an early age as his father played pro basketball in Australia.
By high school graduation, Irving had distinguished himself as a five-star recruit and received numerous offers to play Division I basketball. Irving chose to attend Duke University. However, he would only play in nine games for the Blue Devils due to a foot injury. Despite this setback, Irving’s dynamic play propelled him to become the 2011 No. 1 overall draft selection by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
When Irving entered the league, huge expectations awaited him. The franchise sought to fill the role left by LeBron James, who had signed with the Miami Heat in 2010. In his first three years, Irving won NBA Rookie of the Year and became an NBA All-Star. Irving’s career was on the rise, but the Cavaliers struggled earning an overall record of 78-152 during those three years.
Everything changed in 2014. James announced he would leave the Miami Heat and return to Cleveland. The Cavs’ fortunes improved right away. They went from being at the bottom of the league to competing for an NBA championship.
The shining moment arrived the next year as the Cavaliers faced off against league MVP Stephen Curry and the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. During the regular season, many people deemed this Golden State team as the best team ever. In the first four games, the Warriors garnered a 3-1 series lead. In an amazing comeback, the Cavs won games five and six to force a final game seven in Oakland. With under two minutes remaining in game seven, both Irving and James made two of the best plays in NBA history. As the game was tied at 89, James chased down the Warrior’s Andre Iguodala’s lay-up attempt for an incredible block. A minute later, Irving hit a three pointer over Curry to give the Cavs the lead. Time expired and the Cavs won their first NBA Championship.
For the next few days, everyone praised James’ blocked shot while Irving’s go-ahead three-pointer took a seat on the back burner. Teammates went on record saying this never sat well with Irving because he felt he wasn’t given the credit he deserved.
The next season, things took a turn for the worse. After the Cavs were defeated in the 2017 NBA finals, Irving requested a trade. Tired of playing second fiddle to James, he wanted to be the star player.
Getting his request, Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics. Things got off to a rocky start when Irving commented on new head coach Brad Stevens’ coaching style. Kyrie commented, “Brad Stevens is a good coach but has never coached anybody like me.” Irving had a solid regular season, but a knee injury caused him to miss the playoffs. Many can argue that the Celtics played better without him as rookie Jayson Tatum and second year player Jaylen Brown led the team to a game seven of the eastern conference finals before losing to James and the Cavaliers.
Once Irving returned for the 2017-18 season, many picked the Celtics to dominate the eastern conference. However, tensions grew worse throughout the season and the team struggled. Irving again went to the media saying the team struggled due to the lack of experience, and they needed more veterans, taking a jab at the younger Tatum and Brown. He also criticized the coaching and complained about not getting the last shots in games.
As the 2018 playoffs began, Irving struggled. After being one game away from the Finals the previous season, the Celtics were eliminated 4-1 by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. After telling the city of Boston he would re-sign with the Celtics, Irving reneged on his word and signed with the Brooklyn Nets.
A few months ago, Irving’s ego resurfaced when he appeared on teammate Kevin Durant’s pod cast to discuss the upcoming season. When asked who would take the last shot, himself or teammate Durant, Kyrie said the following, “It depends on who’s hot…I’ve always felt like I was the best option on every team I played for down the stretch. This is the first time in my career I can look down and be like that guy (Durant) can make that shot, too.” This was a clear slight towards James and other former teammates of Irving. During the same pod
cast, Irving discussed the hiring of former NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash as the Nets’ new head coach. Again, Kyrie made headlines with his criticism of the hire and statement that the team could coach themselves.
“I don’t really see us having a ‘head’ coach,” Irving said. “He (Nash) needs to be able to co-exist with us. Kevin Durant could be the head coach. I could be the head coach. It’s going to change the way we see head coach es.”
When hearing these comments, Irving’s former teammate Kendrick Perkins explained how Irving was envious of James since they began playing together on ESPN’s “First Take.”
“He (Kyrie) is a bona fide hater,” Perkins said. “He’s so jealous and envies LeBron James so much that he can’t even hide it anymore. It’s seeping through his pores.”
Irving’s antics continued last week as he announced that he would not speak to the media this season, an obligation outlined in each player’s contract. After the NBA fined Irving $25,000, the star point guard said, “I don’t talk to pawns.” Via Twitter, he said, “My attention is worth more.”
When one’s ego outshines their talent, a problem exists. These types of people feel the need to be right and turn up their noses at others.
A fine line lies between confidence and arrogance. While confidence denotes self-assurance derived from an appreciation of our abilities, arrogance consists of an inflated sense of one’s abilities or qualities.
While I am confident in many abilities, I will never look down on another person. Life has taught me that I can learn lessons from CEO’s and panhandlers. I treat others with the same respect I desire from them. Being jealous of another person’s success isn’t going to take you anywhere. I have learned what’s for me is for me. These days, instead of being envious of someone in a great position, I ask them for advice on what they did to get there. At the end of the day, peo
ple must realize the difference between being confident and being egotistical. Be humble because pride can be your downfall.
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