Kevin Love: Cleveland Cavaliers Should Retire Kyrie Irving's Jersey
There are only less than a dozen players that have had their jersey number of a specific team in NBA history. It's an honor many players dream of accomplishing. In the case of Kyrie Irving, his former All-Star teammate believes his jersey (No. 2) should be raised into the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse rafters.
"Without a doubt. Absolutely. Right away, after his career ends," Kevin Love told The Plain Dealer. "It's not even a question to me. He needs to be up there. He made the biggest shot in franchise history and one of the most important shots in Finals history when you consider how it all went down -- what it meant for the city, what it meant for his legacy, LeBron's legacy and everything else, including that Golden State team that became a dynasty and was historically great."
Irving, who is currently playing in a contract year with the Brooklyn Nets, was a cornerstone player to the Cavaliers franchise. The guard was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by Cleveland, led a short rebuild, and ultimately won the franchise's first elusive NBA championship in 2016.
After Brooklyn's victory over Cleveland on Monday night, Irving reflected on his six seasons with the Cavaliers. Each time he returns to Rocket Mortage Fieldhouse, he takes moments to look back at his accomplishments with the organization that molded him into a four-time NBA All-Star. In his own words, 'Cleveland is never in the rearview.'
"Cleveland is never in the rearview, but it's definitely something I look back on to remember what it takes to be a champion and how many years I had to endure of all the s**t talking and all the time of dealing with all of this," he stated postgame. "Everything that comes with it. People doubting and that's what makes me great: continuing to focus on what I do best and just letting my play speak for itself."
