Collin Sexton already had quite a lot of expectations thrusted upon his shoulders when he became the eighth overall player taken in the 2018 NBA Draft last week. The rookie Cleveland Cavaliers guard then put even more expectations on himself when he announced that he had chosen to wear the No. 2 jersey.
The Wine and Gold’s No. 2 jersey was of course made famous just a few years ago by none other than former Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving. Irving could have felt somewhat slighted by Sexton’s decision to claim Irving’s former number, instead it seems the All-Star feels nothing but excitement for the talented youngster.
Irving spoke to reporters about Sexton during a press event for his upcoming film, “Uncle Drew.”
“The story is probably going to be the number. But I’m more excited about who [Sexton] is as a player in the league,” Irving said. “The number thing is like, just chalk that up to the game. It’s cool. It’s no hard feelings from my end. He just has to start at the chopping block just like everyone else did. So I’m excited for him.”
He went on to talk about his legacy as a Cavs player. While his career in Cleveland may have ended in a less-than-ideal fashion, it is clear that Irving is still profoundly proud of what he and his teammates achieved.
“The history, it’s already captured, man. I was on one of the best teams in NBA history, in my opinion, just accomplishing something that was that much bigger than ourselves,” Irving said in reference to the 2016 NBA champion Cavaliers. “A feat that’s — we’re one of no other teams. We’re one of one, in history [to rebound from a 3-1 NBA Finals deficit]. So for me, I think the biggest thing is giving that jersey [he wore in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals] to my dad. If that’s where the No. 2 legacy ends, then cool. Then I’m starting up a new one. No pressure for anyone else.”
It seems there are no hard feelings between Irving and Sexton. Whether or not that changes when the two begin facing off against one another on the court next season remains to be seen.
