Kyrie Irving is one of the most controversial figures in the NBA. He's often in the middle of something, and not always basketball-related. Currently, he may not even be able to play in home games for theBrooklyn Nets.

Over the past couple of years, Irving has made it clear that basketball isn't his priority. That's not necessarily wrong, but the big money he makes has made some people wonder whether he should've just given that up and retire.

Recently, even Shaquille O'Neal said that the Nets should trade him right away if he refuses to get the COVID-19 vaccine, joining the never-ending list of people bashing Irving for his controversial nature.

LeBron James' Close Friend Says Kyrie Irving Is Actually Pretty Reserved

But according to LeBron James' close friend Phil Handy, Kyrie Irving isn't a bad person at all. If anything, he's just a reserved guy who wants to keep his personal life private, and that's why people speculate so much about him.

"“Until you actually get to know Kyrie, you’re going to get a lot of speculation. He’s going to say some stuff and certain things, but people don’t understand maybe what’s the context behind it or where he’s coming from. So, I always say a lot of times athletes, in general, are just in the spotlight where you just hear sound bites or you might see this or hear this, but people don’t really know the kid. And so, until you actually get to know Kyrie, I tell people all the time that if you don’t know someone, you probably shouldn’t speak on him," Handy told Heavy. “He’s very private and his circle is very small and he’s not a guy that really extends himself a lot to people that he doesn’t know. Kind of like Kawhi.”

Well, fair enough. Maybe we're all misjudging Kyrie. It wouldn't be the first time that the media creates a narrative around someone. Hopefully, he'll focus more in basketball on the future, as he's one of the most talented there's ever been.