NEW ORLEANS: Was Kyrie Irving joking when he said the Earth is flat?
Was the 24-year-old Cavaliers guard trying to make a political statement about fake news and alternative facts and important world issues being overlooked when he marveled over the frenzy his declaration sparked on social media?
Was his acknowledgment that science supports that the Earth is round an admission of his true feelings?
It was hard to tell by what Irving said Saturday after the East All-Stars’ practice at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
As Irving addressed the comments he made during a “Road Trippin’ with RJ and Channing” podcast posted on Cavs.com, superstar LeBron James stood by his teammate.
“He’s my little brother, he’s my All-Star point guard, superstar point guard and if he decides he wants to say the Earth is flat, then so be it,” James said. “He’s an interesting guy and he believes it, so…”
That was followed by a light-hearted repartee between the two, seated side by side and separated by a large speaker.
“Kyrie, the Earth is flat, right?” James yelled.
“Yeah. The Earth is flat, that’s news,” Irving yelled back.
“That’s news,” James echoed, which sounded like a pronouncement in itself.
Irving agreed Saturday that science suggests the world is round.
“That it would be scientifically impossible [to be flat], I’m totally aware of that,” he said.
“I’m going to believe what I believe. Whether I think the world is flat, whether I think the world is round, I believe what I believe.”
Then he might have given a hint of his underlying message.
“There’s just so much, I don’t know if you can even call it news, real things going on that’s shaping the way of our lives,” he said. “I think sometimes it gets skewed because of who we are in the basketball world. ‘Oh, man, what does he actually think? I don’t like Kyrie Irving because he thinks that the world is flat or he thinks the world can’t be round.’
“I know the science. The fact that that can actually be real news and people are asking me about it. ‘It’s a social phenomenon. What do you think about it? Are you going to try to protect your image?’ It really doesn’t matter. The fact that it’s a conversation, I’m glad it got people talking.”
When Irving was told that some suggested on Twitter they would rethink sending their children to Duke, which Irving attended, he said, “They forget that I actually had to get in.”
Fox Sports Ohio’s Allie Clifton also participated in the podcast with the Cavs’ Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye that was posted Friday. Their conversation also touched on conspiracy theories, the Kennedy assassination, Bob Marley and bad hamburgers. A question about the existence of aliens somehow prompted Irving to declare, “The Earth is flat.”
“All these things that particular groups, I won’t even pinpoint one group, that they almost offer up as education. The fact that in our lifetimes that there are so many holes and so many pockets in our history ... Anything you have a particular question on, is the Earth flat or round, I think you need to do research on it,” Irving said on the podcast.
When asked “who” has the answer, Irving said, “It’s right in front of our faces. They lie to us.”
Frye tried to get Irving to recant by asking him again, “Do you believe the Earth is round or flat?”
Irving responded, “There’s no concrete information except for the information they’re giving us. They’re pointing you in the direction of what to believe and what not to believe. The truth is right there, you’ve just got to go searching for it. I’ve been searching for it for a while.”
Irving’s first comments about the podcast were to Arash Markazi, a senior writer for ESPN.com, who caught up with Irving Friday night in New Orleans and posted a short video on Twitter.
Markazi asked Irving if he’d seen pictures of the Earth from space and Irving said he had.
“I’ve seen a lot of things that my educational system has said that was real and turned out to be completely fake,” Irving said on the video. “I don’t mind going against the grain in terms of my thoughts and what I believe in.”
Bathroom bill update
This year’s All-Star Game was moved from Charlotte, N.C., after the state’s passage of what is widely known as a “bathroom bill,” which requires people to use the facility of the gender listed on their birth certificate. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday that he has spoken to newly elected North Carolina governor Roy Cooper and told him that the league would like to hold the 2019 All-Star Game there.
“I understood his position when he was running for office was anti-HB2, the bill that ultimately led to our leaving,” Silver said. “I really was talking to him more to understand, from his standpoint, how he was hoping to move forward in terms of changing that law. My main purpose was to express our desire to return.”
A similar bill is being considered in Texas, which could affect future NBA events there.
“We would have to look at the specific legislation and understand its impact. I mean, I’m not ready to stand here today and say that that is the bright line test for whether or not we will play All-Star Games in Texas,” Silver said. “It’s something we’re going to monitor very closely.
“Our league-wide values in terms of equality and inclusion are paramount to this league and all the members of the NBA family. I think those jurisdictions that are considering legislation similar to HB2 are on notice that that is an important factor for us. Those values are an important factor for us in deciding where we take a special event like an All-Star Game.”
LeBron on Ibaka
The Toronto Raptors filled a void at power forward with Tuesday’s trade with the Orlando Magic that brought the Eastern Conference finalists Serge Ibaka, presumably to help the Raptors compete against the Cavaliers.
“I think Ibaka is a tremendous player,” James said Saturday. “I’ve had an opportunity to compete against him since he’s been in the league and also [in] The Finals against OKC. He definitely has some experience to him.”
Not worshipping dad
James has close friendships with many in the league, including Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade. James said he doesn’t mind if his sons LeBron Jr. and Bryce idolize other players, even if they are members of the Warriors.
“They’re always proud of their dad. They like Kyrie and Kemba [Walker] and Kyle [Lowry], guys they don’t see every day,” James said. “They’re like, ‘You’re dad, you’re not what everybody else thinks you are.’
“They like to know what’s going on with ’Melo and CP and Kyrie and the guys I’m here with at All-Stars, [Kevin Durant] and [Russell Westbrook]. LeBron Jr. wore ‘0’ for a long time because he loved Russ and Bryce wore ‘30’ because he liked Steph [Curry], he liked to shoot the ball from deep. I think it’s pretty cool that my kids have a wide range of athletes they enjoy.”