With no NBA action in the off-season, fans keep themselves busy with other aspects of the league, such as player comparisons. This year, Kyrie Irving has been at the center of debate. The Dallas Mavericks star, currently recovering from an ACL injury, was first compared heavily to Chris Paul before finding himself under the microscope alongside another modern-day great, Damian Lillard.
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Sadly for Kyrie loyalists, the consensus hasn’t favored him. Social media tore him apart when his career accomplishments were stacked against Paul’s, and the same is now happening with Lillard. Even former pros like Gilbert Arenas have argued that Lillard’s career — despite the absence of a championship ring, which Kyrie does have — has been more impressive than Irving’s.
Former Oklahoma City Thunder man Kendrick Perkins has agreed with Arenas. He was the latest to throw shade at Kyrie’s career, noting on the Road Trippin podcast that Kyrie was never the first choice on any of his teams. Lillard, meanwhile, has had a very different aura about him.
Perkins brought up the fact that when Irving was considered ‘Batman’ in the early Cavaliers teams, they ended up with the #1 pick every year, and didn’t make any postseason appearances. Dame, on the other hand, was leading the Blazers to the postseason even without any All-Stars next to him on his team.
“Kyrie was just never a Batman on none of his teams,” said Perk. “And that’s not a knock to him, Dame was. Kyrie wasn’t a Batman on none of his teams, right? And when he was a Batman, Cleveland was drafting, had the no. 1 pick every single f****** year! Until Bron got there.”
Big Perk acknowledged Irving as one of the most skilled players the NBA has ever seen. But Lillard’s journey matters more, when talking about overall careers. He agreed with Arenas’ claim, saying, “To share that point, I think the journey matters, right? How many years did Dame go to college? Like 3? 4? So he had to prove himself way different than Kyrie.”
According to Perkins, Irving had the world eating out of the palm of his hand ever since he came to the NBA as a one-and-done player who only played 11 games for Duke. Meanwhile, Lillard had to fight to be noticed and taken seriously as a player, and so his journey to the top was much harder.
To further their point, the NBA 75 selection speaks volumes as well. Irrespective of whether Irving was unjustly left off, there was no debate about Lillard’s place on the team. But that’s not to say Irving’s greatness isn’t recognized.
Irving is a nine-time All-Star who has played a key role on some very good teams. Yes, he’s had it easier in terms of having better players around him since day one, and that makes Dame stand out, because he was the Portland Trail Blazers for the vast majority of his career.
A championship ring still eludes Dame’s illustrious résumé, but he’s widely considered the better player and will arguably remain so even when both eventually retire.
