Kyrie Irving admits that one of his mistakes during his time in Boston was not fully embracing the unique Celtics culture, which he now understands is a crucial aspect of being part of such a historic franchise.
“You have to show your respect here,” Irving said before Game 5. “I think that’s what I struggled with initially, was figuring out how I’m going to be a great player here while winning championships and also leading a team and selflessly joining the Celtics’ organization or the cult that they have here. That’s what they expect you to do as a player. They expect you to seamlessly buy into the Celtics’ pride, buy into everything Celtics. And if you don’t, then you’ll be outed.”
Irving acknowledged that he found himself on the outskirts.
“I’m one of the people that’s on the outs,” he explained. “I’m perfectly fine with that, you know what I mean. I did it to myself. They don’t welcome me with a warm embrace, even though I know a lot of people in the organization and I’m friends still with some of them,” Irving said. “But, yeah, doing it to myself. And that’s what I was talking about in terms of accepting the choices. But looking back, I would have shown my respect and have more of a council around me from some of the Boston Celtics that came before me to explain what the pressure is like.”
While Irving’s use of the word “cult” may raise some questions, it appears to be his way of taking accountability for not fully appreciating the unique situation he found himself in when he joined the Celtics.
Irving also advised future Celtics players to learn from his missteps and ensure they understand the expectations before joining the team.
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