Kyrie Irving started his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers after being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft.
He did a lot of great things during his years with the Cavs, including winning a championship in 2016, but he still has mixed feelings about his time in the lineup.
Speaking about his run with Cleveland, Irving got honest about some “bad habits” he learned as a young player.
“To have started my career, I love Cleveland, don’t get me wrong, I’m appreciative of all the things they’ve done for me, but at the same time, I would’ve loved to choose the franchise I wanted to go to. I would’ve loved to develop next to some of my favorite players. Being a young player when you’re on a team that’s not winning a lot of games, there’s a lot of bad habits that form. I had a lot of bad habits as a young player, and that came from losing games and just trying to get buckets all the time,” Irving said, according to FearBuck.
Kyrie Irving reflects on the early stages of his NBA career
“I had a lot of bad habits as a young player, and that came from losing games and just trying to get buckets all the time… When I’m done playing, you guys will hear the real story.” pic.twitter.com/CcrL61MJkk
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) August 9, 2025
When Irving came to the Cavaliers, they were one of the worst teams in the league.
That’s a main reason why they had such good odds in the draft and were able to land him.
During his rookie season, Irving’s Cavaliers earned a 21-45 record while he produced 18.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists on 46.9 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from the three-point line.
Irving was named Rookie of the Year and stirred intense excitement among all NBA fans.
He obviously showed a lot of promise, and Irving wanted to build upon it.
That’s exactly what he did, shedding the bad habits he learned in his opening years.
He steadily became a better player and was soon a regular in the All-Star Game.
Irving is now viewed as one of the best point guards in the game, but he admits that he didn’t develop in the best way at the start of his career.
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