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“Jokes like half-game or half-man don’t impact me because I’m used to this”: Kyrie Irving claps back at Charles Barkley for his recent controversial statements

Arjun Julka
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"Jokes like half-game or half-man don't impact me because I'm used to this": Kyrie Irving claps back at Charles Barkley for his recent controversial statements

Nets guard Kyrie Irving throws shade on Charles Barkley’s half-man half-a-season comment on him.

Over his years in the league, Kyrie Irving has earned the tag of controversy’s favorite child. Recently, the former champion has been making more headlines with his off-court antics over his performance on the hardwood. Irving’s refusal to get the COVID vaccine is a daily topic for all media outlets.

New York City’s COVID mandate does not allow its players to practice or play home games if not vaccinated, something Irving believes is against his rights. Though the Nets organization had initially refused Irving permission to participate as a part-time player, they would make a U-turn later.

According to several reports, James Harden was fed-up with Irving not prioritizing his choices, leading to The Beard demanding a trade. And we all know what happened next. Irving continues to be criticized each day for his stance to remain unvaccinated, which doesn’t bother him.

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During a recent media interaction, Irving responded to Barkley’s controversial comment of calling him a half-man half-a-season.

Kyrie Irving fires back at Charles Barkley.

Barkley has been an avid critic of Irving before even his controversial vaccination stance. The Hall of Famer has called out the Nets guard for not prioritizing basketball, going as far as telling him to shut up and dribble the ball.

The 1993 MVP slammed Irving for acting like he was the smartest guy in the room when he went to college for only six months. Thus it was no surprise that Barkley wouldn’t hesitate to call him out for his anti-vaccination stance.

During a recent episode of Inside the NBA, Chuch mocked Irving for his part-time status with the Nets.

In light of the Nets losing their 11th consecutive game, Irving sat down with the media post-game, addressing an array of questions. The seven-time All-Star spoke about dealing with the COVID situation and how people were joking about it.

“In public spaces, I’m noticing that people like to make jokes about what’s going on, like ‘half game’ or ‘half man’. The outside noise creeps in at times, but it doesn’t impact me because I’m used to this.”

Irving added, saying he does not play these media games of going back and forth with someone and answering personal questions.

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About the author

Arjun Julka

Arjun Julka

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Arjun Julka is a NBA author at The SportsRush. Basketball isn’t just a sport for this 26-year-old, who hails from Mumbai. He began watching the sport after stumbling upon a court in his society, helping him identify an undiscovered passion for the game of hoops. Now an ardent fan, Arjun supports Stephen Curry and the Warriors but also enjoys watching Giannis Antetokounmpo own the paint. When it comes to the GOAT debate, the TSR author feels LeBron James is yet to receive a lot of his due but cannot deny marveling at Michael Jordan’s resume.

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