KEY POINTS

  • Kyrie Irving could give up his NBA career to prove a point, a former ESPN anchor says
  • The Nets have decided to hold off plans to offer a contract extension to Kyrie Irving
  • Irving may lose more money if he continues to sit out

Kyrie Irving appears ready to sit out for a long time and possibly give up his NBA career just to prove a point.

This was what former ESPN anchor Cari Champion shared when she appeared on CNN on Wednesday, October 13.

“He thinks differently. He moves differently... I think he truly believes he is doing something and it's unfortunate because I have said over and over again, these players when they want to speak up for someone or they want to do more research. I just feel as if they sound, they don’t know what they are talking about,” he explained.

“I don’t want to say that in a dismissive way but there is so much on the line here. I do believe Kyrie will give up his career just to prove a point. He’s that kind of guy. He will give up his career to prove a point," the 46-year-old added.

"Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that. At the end of the day, Kyrie will make a decision unlike any other. His career, if you look back on his history, says he does what he likes, what he feels,” the host of “Naked with Cari Champion."

Noble as it may seem, tied with Irving’s stance is the money he stands to lose as well as future contracts.

This early, the Nets are allegedly not planning to offer the All-Star guard a contract extension, according to Shams Charania when he appeared on the “The Glue Guys” podcast.

The one-time NBA champion has a $36.5 million player option next summer, yet another interesting bit to watch on the Brooklyn Nets side.

This means Irving could become a free agent after the coming NBA season where he could lose $16 million if he continues to violate New York's vaccine protocols.

Brooklyn Nets Kyrie Irving was fined $35,000 for violating the National Basketball Association's media access rules
Brooklyn Nets Kyrie Irving GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Sarah Stier