Kyrie Irving Defends D'Angelo Russell After Bill Simmons' Analysis of His NBA Career

Kyrie Irving decided to come to the defense of D'Angelo Russell in the wake of comments made by Bill Simmons about the veteran point guard's NBA career.

After the NBA Central account on X posted a portion of Simmons' comments, Irving responded by noting the Podfather "would never say this to Dlo in person and we both know it."

Irving is doing what he feels is right by coming to the defense of his Dallas Mavericks teammate, but Simmons' larger point is one that the Mavs actually made for him.

Dallas signed Russell to a two-year, $11.7 million deal in free agency that includes a player option for the second season. The contract is specifically designed for him to be a stop-gap starting point guard for the Mavericks while they wait for Irving to return from the torn ACL he suffered in March.

Dallas will also be Russell's third different team since the start of the 2024-25 campaign. He split time between the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets last season.

Russell's career and role in the league don't really need to be defended, not to take away from what Irving is trying to do. The 29-year-old is entering his 11th NBA season, has already made more than $175 million and made an All-Star team.

That's a dream outcome for the overwhelming majority of all players who have ever made it into the NBA.