For Kyrie Irving, this isn’t just another basketball debate. It’s personal. Kobe Bryant was his mentor, his big brother, the guy who supported him unconditionally. In a viral clip from last year, his voice heavy with emotion, he reminded everyone what made Kobe truly great. “I don’t know if anyone here has ever lost a mentor… Even if you guys didn’t talk everyday, there was still that connection that they were gonna always be there for you… I miss [Kobe Bryant] every single day.” So when the analytics world came for Kobe’s legacy, Kyrie had something to say.
That emotional defense has taken on a new fire in the wake of a debate that has reignited one of the most passionate arguments in sports. The controversy exploded when Bleacher Report released its updated list of the top 100 NBA players and placed the Lakers legend just outside the top 10, at number 11. The reason? A familiar one for the modern, stats-obsessed era: Kobe’s 55% career true shooting percentage and his single regular-season MVP award were seen as statistical shortcomings. But for a generation of players and fans who grew up idolizing the “Mamba Mentality,” the ranking felt like a slap in the face, a sign that the spreadsheets were missing the soul of the game.
Speaking on his recent Twitch stream, Kyrie Irving made it clear where he stands on this new wave of criticism. He drew a line in the sand. “When it comes to real recognizing real, this man Kobe “Bean” Bryant is immortalized not just because of his basketball…He is way bigger because of the character. Because of what we witnessed him go through,” Irving said, emphasizing that Kobe’s legacy was forged in resilience, not just efficiency ratings.
Kyrie Irving just talked about the recent discourse over Kobe Bryant’s legacy:
“When it comes to real recognizing real, this man Kobe “Bean” Bryant is immortalized not just because of his basketball…He is way bigger because of the character. Because of what we witnessed him go… pic.twitter.com/KPzZEoOOHb
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) July 23, 2025
And he’s not the only one taking a stand. A chorus of NBA legends has come out swinging in defense of Kobe’s legacy. His former teammate, Shaquille O’Neal, called the ranking “criminal.” Kendrick Perkins, who battled Kobe in two NBA Finals, was even more direct. “The disrespect needs to f—king stop,” Perkins said passionately. “Let the man rest in peace.” He went on to call Kobe a “Top 3 most skilled player to ever play the game of basketball.”
Is that an exaggeration? Just look at the resume: five championships, 18 All-Star selections, 12 All-Defensive team nods, and, of course, the second-highest scoring game in NBA history with 81 points. Dwyane Wade, another of Kobe’s great rivals, recently highlighted the kind of respect Kobe commanded among his peers.
Wade shared a classic 2006 interview clip on his Instagram story where Kobe, asked to name his dream team of current players, immediately named a 21-year-old LeBron James. Wade was blown away by the gesture. “When I saw this, it just reminded me of the kind of competitor Kobe was,” Wade said. “He wasn’t afraid to give respect where it was due, even to the young guy coming for his throne. That’s real confidence. That’s Mamba.” For Wade, it was a perfect example of Kobe’s greatness, a quality that many feel is being lost in the modern, stats-obsessed debate over his legacy. But for Kyrie Irving, this fight is about more than just Kobe, it’s personal.
Kyrie’s War on the “Lazy Media Space”
So what’s really driving Kyrie’s passion here? For him, the numbers-obsessed debate over Kobe’s legacy is a symptom of a much bigger disease: his frustration with what he calls the “lazy media space,” a world where he feels players are treated more like stocks to be traded than actual human beings.
Take the money, for instance. Why, he wonders, does everyone need to know exactly how much they make? On a recent Twitch stream, he questioned the whole practice. “I wonder if people know how much that puts a target on someone’s life,” he said. “From a media standpoint sometimes it could get a little intrusive… When people know what you make and then ask somebody like, ‘Hey I saw that you got this negotiating your contract, how did you get it done?’ It’s like, bro, that’s personal.” For Kyrie, the constant chatter about salaries turns a player’s contract into a weapon, used to criticize them when they don’t live up to the dollar amount and creating an “awkwardness” that feels like a constant invasion of privacy.
That feeling of being trapped under a microscope? Kyrie knows it all too well. He recently revealed that during his chaotic time with the Brooklyn Nets, a period defined by the controversy over his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine, he reached a breaking point and actually asked the team to let him go. “I even told the Nets to release me,” he said. “I said, ‘yo, can you please just release me?’” He felt his personal choices were being unfairly used against him, and he just wanted out of the constant storm.
Feb 12, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
It all circles back to one central theme for Kyrie: his deep-seated belief that the modern sports media has lost its way. “We do have a very lazy media space right now when it comes to certain topics and the way we discuss players and the way we discuss the craft,” he said passionately. He sees a “hot take industry” that chases clicks and controversy instead of nuance, a world where off-court narratives are more valuable than on-court brilliance.
So when he goes to bat for Kobe Bryant, he’s not just defending a mentor. He’s fighting for a different way of seeing the game—one that values character, resilience, and the human journey over cold, hard numbers.
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