“I’m Top 50 Atleast”: Kyrie Irving ‘Humbly’ Responds to an All-Time Ranking Question on Twitch Stream

Kyrie Irving is easily top ten when it comes to ball-handlers across NBA history. But on his recent Twitch stream, the eight-time All-Star was asked to rank himself as an all-time point guard. Uncle Drew took the high road and arguably undersold himself.

“I’m top 50 at least. Top 50 point guards,” Irving shared his ranking in NBA history. At first look, it feels criminal to not consider the Mavericks star as a top-25 point guard. However, there are several contextual factors at play.

For one, Kyrie has always shone brightest as the second option. The 2016 NBA champion has never carried his own team, and while that’s not a knock on the shifty guard, it does affect his statistical comparison to other contemporaries like Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard.

Furthermore, Irving has suited up for the Mavericks as a shooting guard, further highlighting how his skillset isn’t reflective of the traditional point guard. His career-high in assists is 6.9 per game, which he averaged during the 2018-19 season as a Celtic.

But even with these factors, the top 50 feels like an unfit placement for one of the most skilled guards of our generation. Kyrie Irving explained how he viewed his legacy as more than pure comparison. For Irving, the ranking isn’t as important as the impact he has had on the game.

“I’m definitely up there…I’ve created a whole different genre, a whole different style with my play, you know what I mean? Like, I have people legitimately studying just the movements, you know. Trying to figure out like, how did this young kid named Ky get to be so swaggy on the court,” Kyrie Irving added.

Creating a blueprint for future generations of guards is a valuable part of his legacy and, according to Irving, it puts him in contention with the greats. Nonetheless, the Twitch chat couldn’t fathom Kyrie ranking himself top 50.

“They saying you too humble,” one of the interviewers told Irving. This invited the 2011 Rookie of the Year to expand on the thought process behind his ranking.

Kyrie Irving explained how he didn’t want to rank himself with the greats while he was still an active player. He wanted to answer humbly because he still has several years of professional basketball in him. The 32-year-old added that once he’s retired in five or six years, he will be more candid about his all-time ranking. But until then, he prefers to not oversell himself.

After all, Ky is a championship contender in the Western Conference. Though his showing in the 2024 NBA Finals was nowhere close to his production with the Cavaliers, there might still be a trophy or two left in his career. And if Kyrie Irving wins another championship before retiring, he might even cement himself as a top 15 point guard of all time.