Kyrie Irving Responds to Tracy McGrady Video Saying Jamaal Tinsley Had Better Handles

Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Kyrie Irving offered a respectful response to Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady's recent claim that former Indiana Pacers guard Jamaal Tinsley was the best ball-handler he ever saw.

During an appearance on the Young Man and the Three podcast (h/t Gautam Varier of Athlon Sports), McGrady noted that while he loves to watch Kyrie, he feels Tinsley had better handles:

"You remember, Jamaal Tinsley?" McGrady said. "Man, I don't think nobody had better handles than Jamaal Tinsley, even Kyrie. I think Jamaal Tinsley handles was probably the best I've seen."

Irving responded to T-Mac on a live stream, and while he took no issue with McGrady's opinion, he also gave his own take on what sets him apart from Tinsley:

"When I see an OG like T-Mac come out and say, 'I don't think anyone had better handles than Jamaal Tinsley, even Kyrie,' it doesn't bother me because I'm a mix of all the great players that came before me. ... I wouldn't be who I am without watching the guys that came before me. I just took it to a whole different place.

"When it comes to every portion of my game, I feel like I try my best to pay homage to all the great ones that came before me. So when he's talking like this, I know he's talking about one of the guys that he's seen that has better handles, but I just don't think he has the same movement. Jamaal Tinsley was not moving like me. I don't think anybody moves like me. I think we have similarities, others have similarities, and they've advanced different things."

Kyrie has long been considered an elite ball-handler, and it is likely one of the many qualities that will help him get to the Basketball Hall of Fame one day.

The 33-year-old veteran is a nine-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA selection and one-time NBA champion with career averages of 23.7 points, 5.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game over 14 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and Mavs.

Although Tinsley was a first-round pick out of Iowa State in 2001, he was far more of a journeyman than Irving, who went No. 1 overall in 2011.

Tinsley was never an All-Star during his 11-year NBA career with the Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz, and his career numbers were far more modest, as he averaged 8.5 points, 6.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest.

Still, Tinsley enjoyed some strong seasons over the years, including averaging a career-high 8.4 assists per game in 2007-08 and a career-high 15.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals to go along with 6.4 assists in 2004-05.

There may be an argument to be made that Tinsley was better than Irving solely in the area of ball-handling, but Kyrie has undoubtedly shown over the years that he is the far more complete and accomplished player.