“They Played Marathons of Friends”: Kyrie Irving Once Revealed Matt LeBlanc’s Role in His Iconic Tattoo

The widely popular American comedy sitcom – F.R.I.E.N.D.S, had the whole world laughing since it first aired in 1994. It revolved around the lives of six friends in New York as they navigated the challenges of their careers and relationships, The Emmy-winning show captured the hearts of fans across all walks of life and continues to be a favorite. One such fan is NBA superstar Kyrie Irving, who, in a 2015 interview with ‘GQ‘, talked about the show, his favorite episode, and his favorite character.

Irving was introduced to the show at a young age but could not understand the references and the plots at the time. It was at a later age that he got re-introduced to the show and there was no looking back. He said in the interview,

“I was young and didn’t really understand the issues they were talking about or even really get the sarcastic tone. I didn’t get it until I got older and was watching Nick at Night and TBS, and they played marathons of Friends all the time. One day I sat through probably like a full season of episodes and fell in love with it.”

The Dallas Mavericks guard was so mesmerized by Matt LeBlanc, who played the character of Joey, that it inspired him to get into acting. Knowing LeBlanc in person, he was amazed by the transformation of personalities from off the screen to when the cameras were on,

“As for favorite character, I’m going to have to go with Joey. He’s so funny. That performance is great. When you see Matt LeBlanc off-screen, he’s well-spoken and seems smart, but then Joey . . . He’s just a great actor. I mean that show came on, and he just put on this character who is totally different than he is in every way. That really made me appreciate what actors and actresses can do.”

The character eventually served as an inspiration for the Friends tattoo he got on his arm. The NBA player got matching tattoos with his friend who watched the show with him. Kyrie talked about the tattoo with ‘GQ’ and said, “Joey definitely inspired me to get the tattoo. I have it with one of my other friends, and we have it in the same place. We thought it would be a great tattoo because we both enjoy the show.” The NBA superstar getting a permanent tattoo might just make him the ultimate ‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S’ fan.

Kyrie Irving talks about his favorite F.R.I.E.N.D.S episode

For all of us who have enjoyed the comedy show, there is always a favorite character and episode. Kyrie Irving is no different. With ‘Joey’ being his favorite character, Kyrie was asked about his favorite episode by ‘GQ’. He revealed,

“I would say it was when they go on vacation [to Barbados] and Joey is with Rachel and Ross is with [Charlie]. It’s just a love fiasco. Everybody is listening to each other through the hotel room walls. They’re going back and forth between rooms. Then they go back to New York and Ross walks in on Joey and Rachel kissing. That’s one of my favorites.”

The episode referred to by the NBA champion is a two-part finale of season 9. The gang travels to Barbados to attend a Paleontology conference and enjoy a much-needed break. Irving loves the comedy of events between Joey and Ross as their relationships get intertwined while the rest of the group tries to eavesdrop from their rooms. The episode provides a riot of laughter for the fans and we can understand why Irving would choose it as his favorite.