Charles Barkley has a tendency to criticize members of the Brooklyn Nets. Stephen A. Smith has been known to do so from time to time, as well. So, it’s no surprise the recent drama in Brooklyn came up when Barkley joined Smith on his ESPN+ show. Their focus this time: Kyrie Irving.
“It’s time for Kyrie to grow up and be a great player,” Barkley said. “When you become a professional and you’re making $30 [to] $40 million dollars a year, you are held to different standards than most people. He has to shop up to work. … It’s time for Kyrie to grow up and be a great player, not just a talented player — be a great player and be professional.”
“It’s time for Kyrie to grow up.”
Charles Barkley joined Stephen A’s World and didn’t hold back 👀 pic.twitter.com/DIRxfNLAQN
— ESPN (@espn) January 15, 2021
Smith retweeted the clip and stuck to his recent message, suggesting Irving should call it a career.
Or Retire https://t.co/mEj4jIHGdR
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 15, 2021
Irving last played for the Nets on January 5. After initially missing time for personal reasons, he is now unavailable for Saturday’s game due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
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