Kyrie Irving Compares Nets Tenure to ‘Girl That Got Away’ in Head-Scratching Interview

Kyrie Irving is off to an impressive start in the 2023–24 NBA season, and his time with the Mavericks has been relatively smooth sailing thus far. But following the team’s 107–88 loss to the Clippers on Saturday night, Irving was asked about a time that was a bit more drama-filled—his tenure with the Nets.

While discussing his time in Brooklyn, Irving compared it to “the girl that got away” while also joking that he didn’t want to “get in trouble with the wife.”

“I don’t look at that aspect of my career as disappointing. I think it’s kind of like one of those times that got away—the girl that got away … and it’ll hurt you for the rest of your life,” Irving said, via Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.

“You’re looking at it. You got a great bad wife, kids and you’re like … I don’t wanna second guess it. I don’t wanna get in trouble with my wife. I’m not thinking about nobody else, baby. It feels like that [fear of missing out] like you missed out on something.”

Here’s a look at the full breakdown of comments from Irving, which includes him discussing the “what if” aspect of teaming up with Kevin Durant and James Harden.

Irving spent roughly 3 1/2 seasons with the Nets, averaging 27.1 points, 5.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 48.9% from the field.