Kyrie Irving Sends Message to City of Cleveland and Teammates in Goodbye Video

6 Min Read

Kyrie Irving is officially no longer a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers after being traded to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. Now that the drama has finally come to an end, Irving took to social media to reflect on his time in Cleveland.

“Hey everyone, what’s going on? Man, it’s hard to make videos like this because you understand the magnitude of the decisions that you make in your life can affect a lot of people all at once,” Irving began. “When you get to that point and you understand that the best intentions for you, and ultimately to be in your truth and find out what you really want to do in your life and how you want to accomplish it. That moment comes and you take full advantage of it.”

He went on to further explain his reasons for wanting to continue his career elsewhere.

“There are no other ulterior reasons other than being happy and wanting to be somewhere where you feel like it’s an environment conducive for you maximizing your potential as a human being and as a player perfecting your craft,” he said. “I put a lot of hours in and a lot of work into just trying to accomplish things that I have dreamt of as a kid, and it started with — not only going to Duke but getting drafted number one by Dan Gilbert and his ownership group, Nate Forbes, and also the ‘bald guy,’ as he likes to be called. Then their families, and Nick Gilbert actually put in the draft call which was awesome, because I ended up meeting him at the draft lottery. They took a chance on a 19-year-old kid who was coming off of a stubbed right toe, of being in a very, very immature place at the time because what 19-year-old doesn’t take their time in making decisions.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYd0QnSlH0Y/?taken-by=kyrieirving

Irving then looked back at his career with the Cavaliers with nothing but fond memories.

“I spent part of my life, and my years in the NBA in such a great environment in Cleveland. Being there from the start in 2011 and it now, coming to an end in 2017, which is still crazy in my mind. But I just want to say that all the individuals that I met over my six-year span, and I don’t say it as if this is an ending friendship or anything like that, but you guys understand how much those moments meant to me and connecting with everyone because it matters, and I care, and I love the world, and I love people, and I love being around people,” he said. “So as guarded as I am and as everyone likes to say that I have a wall up, spending two minutes or five minutes asking someone genuinely about themselves is what I truly care about. To be able to share those moments with everyone in Cleveland and everyone in Ohio, and doing something that was just an unbelievable experience for all of us. I still can’t believe, you know, just the feats that we reached in a six-year span. I am truly grateful and I am thankful. This is special video just strictly to Cleveland, and of all of those that are finding that self love and that’s what I am here to bridge the gap for.”

Finally, he concluded by further singing The Land’s praises.

“This is special thank you to Cleveland. I love all you guys’ support and all you guys’ love over the course of the amount of years that I was in Cleveland. I say that because I know that the journey continues from this point on and there will be nothing but love that I have for the organization and what we got to be a part of. Because there are some special individuals there and I’m shouting out you guys and you guys know who you are. And to my teammates, crazy stories, crazy experiences, and just unbelievable human beings, man. I know how this brotherhood goes, man,” he said as he beat his chest. “All love.”

Surely the way Cleveland feels about Irving has changed now that he is no longer a member of the Cavaliers. It is clear, however, that Irving still holds the city and the organization in a special place in his heart.

Share This Article
Jonathan is a freelance writer, filmmaker, and passionate fan of the NBA. In the past Jonathan has covered politics, entertainment, travel, and more. He is a proud contributor of Cavaliers Nation.