Metta World Peace on Kyrie Irving: ‘Just do what you wanna do’

Although Kyrie Irving isn’t the only player who doesn’t want the NBA to resume the 2019-20 season in late July at Disney World in Orlando because he’s concerned it will distract people from the Black Lives Matter movement, he has received more criticism than anyone for taking this stance.

Some feel the awareness of social injustice is not an excuse to stop working. Others think Irving needs to have a greater plan than the one he’s produced so far. There are even some who think the Brooklyn point guard is doing all of this because he isn’t allowed to travel with the Nets to Orlando.

Metta World Peace told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson on the Scoop B Radio podcast, “Everybody handles it differently,” when addressing Irving’s situation. At the same time, the retired NBA forward would not be on the same side as the Nets point guard if he were still playing:

The minute you move a mountain, I’m bringing my whole hood with me. I don’t need anybody to validate if I’m going to do that. I was telling people that I’m from the ‘hood in a corporate world, guys making a stand and having experience in the streets,’ I did it. From my hood, I just did it. And people still remember that to this day; people don’t even know why they like me…’cause I’ve been doing this for a long time. Because I just did it and somebody like Kyrie Irving should just do it. You don’t need anybody; you’re a big-time player. Just do what you wanna do. Whatever you think is right, we’re with you. But me personally, I would’ve played. Because I’m obsessed with the [expletive] game. I definitely would’ve played, maybe cussed a few people out, but nothing in the NBA is crazier than the issue that are happening; how I would’ve spoke would’ve been different. These [expletive] is nice. I remember the ‘I Can’t Breathe’ issue. [Expletive], we needed something stronger than that. We gotta say something. So, you know, I get the peaceful protests versus the ignorant or violent protests. But you got to let people know sometimes. I know that we are not entirely but it’s still an outrage.