Boston Celtics' Kyrie Irving only wants to play in the NBA until early-to-mid 30s

Boston Celtics' Kyrie Irving only wants to play in the NBA until early-to-mid 30s



Updated 8:43 AM; Posted 8:40 AM




Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving (11) passes the ball against the defense of Toronto Raptors forwards Pascal Siakam (43) and Serge Ibaka (9) in the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Nov. 16, 2018, in Boston. Irving scored 43 points to lead the Celtics to a 123-116 victory in overtime. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) (Elise Amendola)




By Tom Westerholm



Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving doesn't plan to be like Atlanta Hawks veteran Vince Carter, who is playing in his 21st NBA season at age 41.

According to Celtics.com'sc D'Amico, Irving told reporters at shootaround prior to Boston's game against the Hawks that he only plans to play until his early-to-mid 30s.


Marc D'Amico

@Marc_DAmico
Kyrie Irving says he only wants to play in the NBA until his early to mid-30s.

693
8:12 AM - Nov 23, 2018


Tim Bontemps

@TimBontemps
After marveling at Vince Carter's longevity this morning, Kyrie Irving was asked if he could envision himself playing that long.

"No, no," he said. "Once I’m done with this, hopefully in my early-to-mid 30s, I’m done with this."

59
8:41 AM - Nov 23, 2018


Insert your own joke here about the Celtics' recent struggles sapping Irving's desire to keep playing basketball.

Irving is 26, so early-to-mid 30s leaves a lot of time left for him to play and earn money. His next contract will be a big one, likely something in the range of five years and $189 million with the Celtics, assuming he stays committed to the team when the offseason rolls around. After that deal runs out, he will be 32, which would leave him the option of retiring (early 30s) or trying to get one more lucrative deal.

In either case, don't expect to see much from Irving around the league once he retires: Earlier this summer, he said he expects to be living "off the grid in a self-sustaining community, living with no power."

Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving wants to get off the grid in 30 years.


Irving marches to the beat of his very unique drum, so an unexpectedly early retirement would make a lot of sense. Until then, he has a lot of basketball left for people to enjoy.




bob
MY NOTE: To be honest, this kinda shakes me to the core. It makes me question his heart and commitment. It makes me wonder about his priorities. He sounds like he's more focused on playing out his string than on what he can accomplish with what is left on his string. He's not even talking about how much game he has left. He has already decided regardless of his health and, apparently unrelated to any basketball goals, he's only going to play until some arbitrary date. Am I overreacting?



.

Guy is 26. Early 30s is 33 or 34. That is A LONG time from now. Much ado about nothing.

mrkleen09 wrote:Guy is 26.  Early 30s is 33 or 34.  That is A LONG time from now.  Much ado about nothing.

absolutely right.

gyso wrote:

dboss wrote:

mrkleen09 wrote:Guy is 26.  Early 30s is 33 or 34.  That is A LONG time from now.  Much ado about nothing.

absolutely right.

Besides, feelings change over time.

True

Feelings do change over time but if he sticks by his desire not to play past his early or mid 30's it does not change the Celtics timeline regarding him.

It seems that the media and fans react and overreact to every little tidbit of information he chooses to share.

I'm not sure why you would question his " heart", bob. It looks to me like he is playing hard. Athletes today don't want to be Mickey Mantle, limping around first base for a paycheck. At some point , Kyrie will have other fish to fry. More power to him . Meanwhile, he's fun to watch and pairing him with Smart may be just what the doctor ordered.

His next paycheck will be for close to 200 million bucks and he'll be 32

Give me 200 million minus taxes and let me be 32 again, I'd own land enuff to hunt and fish without being bothered by others, make my own beer wine and whiskey

Collect guns, knives and antique bibles and pay someone to fetch me anything I need from civilization,

Other than all my time would be spent photographing beautiful women or spending quality time with my wife, hoping no babies come into existence from said quality time..

So I can sort of identify with him on this.. even if he is wrong about the flat earth thing.

He repudiated the flat earth position. Replaced it with a basketball Jones, but only until he's in his mid-thirties.

Sounds good. Sounds smart. Doesn't sound like it's a story worth writing, especially since it's a decade away.

Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Rocky Marciano...

Get out young and on top of your game. Let the fans remember you in your prime only.

Walk away a little early. Don't limp away too late.

Makes me respect Kyrie a little more.

I REALLY DO NOT CARE HOW LONG KI PLAYS..............IT IS LIKE THE PRESS PUBLISHES ALL THIS BULL SHXT THAT HE SAYS..........KI SAID THIS ...KI SAID THAT..............


WHO F@#K CARES!

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