© Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
Kyrie Irving Reveals why Winning Championship With Nets is Special
While growing up in West Orange, New Jersey, Kyrie Irving was a Nets fan. He frequently attended games at Continental Airlines area and in fact was drafted to the NBA inside the place the Nets last called home in New Jersey -the Prudential Center - in 2011.
Entering his fourth year as a Net with a unique understanding of the franchise's history, Irving has seen lots of ups and downs as Brooklyn has tried to finally capture its first elusive NBA championship. This season, the chase for the championship comes with a special background.
The 2022-23 season is the 10th anniversary since the Nets relocated to Brooklyn from New Jersey. The franchise plans on celebrating the anniversary throughout the season, adding the slogan "The Brooklyn Way" to honor the community and the anniversary.
For Irving, making a mark with his teammates for the franchise on its 10th-year anniversary in the borough would mean a lot. He spoke about being 'in the dream position' and if Brooklyn was able to make it to the top of the mountain this season after everything the team has combatted over the last three seasons, it would feel a lot sweeter.
"I honestly can say I'm grateful to be in the dream position of a kid or a Nets fan being at home and being able to play for their home team," said Irving after the Nets practice on Tuesday in Industry City. 'It's always going to be a special place in my heart just to see us go from Continental Airlines to Prudential [Center] and now to be in Brooklyn for 10 years, and to say that I was drafted at a time when that transition was happening, I was part of it. Now I'm on this side of creating a legacy that's going to last way beyond my years, I'm grateful.
"To do it with these guys here, specifically what we've been through in the last few years, it'll make it a lot sweeter if we do get to the top of that mountain at the end of the season. I'm looking forward to the journey and it's a tall task at hand but basketball is a man's game. It's also a women's game, but we know the most physically opposing team usually ends up in the championship."
When Irving was asked what would it do for the Nets franchise if the team was able to get to the top of the mountain, Irving left it short: "I'll probably have that answer for you in six to nine months."
Before Brooklyn can even think about coveting a championship, there's a long 82-game regular season to get through first before cracking a playoff berth. The Nets' star guard has only played in 103 games across his completed three-year tenure with the franchise. The path remains clear for Irving to play as a full-time player this season, and he's ready to show the results of the work he's put in.
"For the last year, you guys asked my teammates a bunch of questions about me, specifically, and why I'm not here," Irving said. "Now that I'm here, we get to see the consistent effort I would've put forth last year and the year before that if everyone started off healthy."
After splitting the four-game preseason slate, the Nets will open the regular season against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, October 19 at Barclays Center. When Irving was asked about the message after preseason play and what to improve on, the two pillars of trust and communication are qualities Brooklyn is attempting to hone in on to put them in the best position to win that first championship for the franchise.
"Trust and communication. Those have been two big pillars here that we talk about every single day. Those things are gonna carry us through the test and challenges that we’re going to potentially face throughout the season," Irving said. "Ninety percent of this game is mental and 10 percent of it is going to be based on skill and how well you execute. We want to make sure that we have a balanced attack, especially on the defensive end. We know those win championships, defensive effort, and offensively you’ll see some exciting games out there, some high-scoring games."
