NBA Fans Are Comparing Kyrie Irving to Michael Scott After Seeing His Bizarre Statement
1. “Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow. I’ve made my decision to opt in. See you in the fall. A11even.”
That was a real quote that Nets guard Kyrie Irving gave to The Athletic’s Shams Charania on Monday after he made the heroic decision to take $37 million from Brooklyn instead of opting out of his contract.
In Kyrie’s universe, taking the most money you can get somehow makes you different.
Kyrie patting himself on the back caused many NBA fans to roll their eyes, while others had an epiphany about who Kyrie has morphed into:
This is how Michael Scott would opt in to a contract. https://t.co/zIgWx1qrSZ
— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) June 28, 2022
I’m sorry when did Kyrie become Michael Scott https://t.co/RX16quBLk8
— Patrick Engel (@PatrickEngel_) June 28, 2022
This is Michael Scott behavior https://t.co/flfOxUQzsa
— steve ceruti (@Ceruti) June 27, 2022
Kyrie is literally Michael Scott with a jump shot
— kev 🎒 (@RIPkevv) June 28, 2022
“‘Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow.’ — Wayne Gretzky — Michael Scott” — Kyrie Irving
— Zeke (@prismbreaker) June 27, 2022
Other NBA fans immediately thought of food when they read Kyrie’s quote:
“Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow.”- Me after ordering DoorDash for the 467th consecutive day https://t.co/x93HqTcMxf
— j (@Jferrie23) June 28, 2022
“Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow.” - Me, ordering chicken nuggets without a dipping sauce
— Drew Fryman (@FrymanDrew) June 28, 2022
"Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow" pic.twitter.com/iw4KYGmMsz
— Cage (@ridiculouscage) June 27, 2022
I understand this. I announce something just like this to the entire coffee shop after I place an order for a drink with an alternative milk https://t.co/fcowjAQtzy
— Hanif Abdurraqib (@NifMuhammad) June 27, 2022
"Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow" - me, about to order two appetizers as an entree
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) June 27, 2022
Other NBA fans just went for good, old-fashioned mocking.
I woke up on a Monday morning, went to work, and didn’t poop my pants once today. Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow
— Daman Rangoola (@damanr) June 28, 2022
Not wanting to take a $30 million pay cut makes Kyrie Irving the very epitome of a normal person. https://t.co/MaqlUB4MFg
— Mo Egger (@MoEgger) June 28, 2022
“I realized my only other option was a $6 mil deal with the Lakers.” https://t.co/VzP6oFYu9L
— Jeff Bell (@4WhomJBellTolls) June 27, 2022
Kyrie’s agent after pressing send on this: https://t.co/bQSohYOwAx pic.twitter.com/8M0Vbnwzyf
— Megan Kelly (@mmegankelly) June 27, 2022
2. This Sunday’s exclusive MLB game on Peacock between the Tigers and Royals will not have announcers in the booth or a traditional call of the game.
From Peacock’s press release:
"MLB Sunday Leadoff’s presentation of the Detroit Tigers hosting the Kansas City Royals this Sunday, July 3 at Noon ET on Peacock will feature a unique broadcast without any commentators in the booth as viewers will be taken inside the ballpark to experience the game from different viewpoints and perspectives.
“MLB Sunday Leadoff host and in-game reporter Ahmed Fareed, former Tigers outfielder and current Bally Sports Detroit analyst Craig Monroe, and NBC Sports’ Britney Eurton will take fans around Detroit’s Comerica Park throughout the game, providing viewers with a tour of the ballpark, unique viewpoints, conversations with special guests, and more.”
3. Kyle Brandt has a lot of great recurring bits on Good Morning Football. One of them is breaking down the annual NFL Network staff photo. He did so this morning and the Ian Rapoport section is outstanding.
Every year @nflnetwork takes a team photo.
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) June 28, 2022
Every year @KyleBrandt breaks it down.... pic.twitter.com/AJJUag7z5M
4. The NHL and NBA both experience ratings increases over 2020 and ’21 for their respective postseasons, but were both down from the pre-COVID-19 world of ’19 thanks to cord-cutting.
.@ABCNetwork averaged around 4.6 million viewers for 6-game @StanleyCup Final. @Avalanche-@TBLightning +83% from 5-game Bolts-Habs on NBC/NBCSN 2021 (2.5 million). Up big from 2.1 million for Bolts-Stars in fall 2020.
— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) June 28, 2022
Down around 16% from 5.5 million for 7-game Blues-Bruins 2019 pic.twitter.com/iAbJ9Q8pa5
5. The Joc Pederson–Tommy Pham fantasy football scandal continues to provide great content weeks after Pham slapped Pederson. On Chris Rose’s podcast, Braves pitchers Tyler Matzek and Josh Tomlin, who played with Pederson last season, explained how Pederson spent all year dodging Pham because he knew things would get physical.
Braves pitchers Tyler Matzek & Josh Tomlin talk about how Joc Pederson didn’t leave the clubhouse in San Diego last year because Tommy Pham wanted to slap him 🤣
— Chris Rose Sports (@ChrisRoseSports) June 27, 2022
📺: https://t.co/mwJ3kqHg0Q
📻: https://t.co/lWZ9LBQr9e pic.twitter.com/cxyqepyJyf
6. The latest SI Media Podcast features a conversation with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt.
The SportsCenter host talks about the adrenaline rush of doing live postgame shows after the NBA Finals, his back-and-forth with Draymond Green about “new media” vs. media and Steph Curry’s likability. Van Pelt also shares his thoughts on LIV golf and explains the various issues that LIV faces as they try to get off the ground.
Other topics covered with Van Pelt include why sporting events need more singalongs, why betting baseball is bad, the best James Corden “Carpool Karaokes,” why it’s still taboo to admit you do something for money and much more.
Following the conversation with Van Pelt, Sal Licata from WFAN and SNY in New York, joins Jimmy for the weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, the guys break talk about whether they could still work for a company they sued, à la Sage Steele, The Athletic’s “no politics” Twitter policy and the state of stand-up comedy.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.
You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Since we started with Michael Scott and a bizarre announcement from Kyrie Irving, let’s end with a bizarre Michael Scott announcement.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.