Kyrie Irving on Derek Chauvin Verdict: 'We Have a Long Way to Go as a Country'

Kyrie Irving offered his thoughts Tuesday after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd.

Irving said the following when asked how he and his teammates reacted to the verdict:

Kyrie said he wanted to keep the team's reaction "internal," but he added, "We have a long way to go as a country."

Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was murdered by Chauvin last May while detained. With Floyd handcuffed and lying on the ground, Chauvin kept his knee pressed against the back of Floyd's neck for over nine minutes, killing him.

A jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Those charges carry up to 40 years, 25 years and 10 years in prison, respectively, per CNN.

Irving has been among the most outspoken NBA players on the topics of racial inequality, social injustice and police brutality since Floyd's murder last year.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported in June that Irving was among the players who were "looking to take a stand by not playing in the league's intended resumption, and their primary reason for doing so would be in support of the nationwide movement fighting for social justice reform."

Irving reportedly spoke up during a meeting ahead of the 2019-20 NBA season's restart and said: "I don't support going into Orlando. I'm not with the systematic racism and the bulls--t. ... Something smells a little fishy. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are targeted as Black men every day we wake up."

The restart did occur, though an injury prevented Irving from participating.