Stephen A. Smith says 'martyr' Kyrie Irving is a hypocrite

Kyrie Irving doesn’t always do the right or the most common thing, but he’ll stand by his word and his beliefs. That has made him one of the most controversial athletes in the history of the National Basketball Association.

Love him or hate him, you have to at least respect the fact that he stands up for what he believes in. Moreover, that has driven him off the court more often thanhis team’s fans and even his teammates would’ve wanted.

That’s why, in a recent interview, the Brooklyn Nets superstar went on to say that he had to live ‘the life of a martyr’ this season while he protested New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

NBA News: Kyrie Irving Calls Himself A Martyr

“I was not expecting a mandate to be brought down in a way where it wasn’t going to let me play at all,” Irving said on The ETCs Podcast. “I had the opportunity to play away games still but there was no plan in place, there was no vision of how it was going to work for our team. And I think that not only impacted not just me, but a lot of people. Just had to sit in that hot seat for a little bit and deal with it. The life of a martyr, bro.”

Stephen A. Smith Blasts Irving Over ‘Martyr’ Comments

Wo wo wo, maybe pull off the brakes a little? I mean, yeah, he sacrificed for his beliefs but… a martyr? It’s not like he was struggling to make ends meet or wasn’t in a position to make a true difference.

That’s why ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith continued his personal crusade against Irving. He lauded his talents on the basketball court, yet called out his hypocrisy for still playing once the mandate was lifted.

“Kyrie Irving is offended that you’re looking at him for having an impact as a basketball player because he wants to be seen as more than that,” Smith started. “Even though he’s the one who signed up to put his talents on display for all of us to marvel at.”

“But when we hold him accountable for it, how dare us? He’s talking about a martyr, giving a voice to the voiceless, where you been speaking?” Smith asked. “There’s people still unemployed in New York for the mandate. If you really really wanted to make some noise, you would’ve said to hell with that, I don’t give a damn if I can come back, I’mma stand with them.”

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe Kyrie deserves a lot of respect for what he did, regardless of how we feel about his beliefsper sé.But maybe let’s take the ego down a notch or two. A martyr? C’mon…