Kyrie Irving, the Dallas Mavericks star and three-time gold winner, spoke candidly about the current status of Team USA. His words evoke nostalgia, recalling a time when athletes competed for positions on the national team through grueling auditions.
According to a tweet by The Dunk Central (@TheDunkCentral). While acknowledging his well wishes for the current roster and respecting the selection process, Kyrie Irving seemed to lament the shift away from head-to-head competition for spots on the national team.
Kyrie Irving on Missing the Team USA Tryout Experience
The tweet captured Irving’s comments:
“I wish my brothers well. I just didn’t fit in to this team. I think the deliberation process was a tough one. But again, I have nothing but respects to those guys of USAB…I grew up in a time when we actually had to try out for USAB. And we did meet up as a group and as peers and there was a mutual respect that we earned from one another in trying out and seeing what five meshed well.”
“I think the timing’s a little bit different. I kind of miss those days of just being able to get everybody together, break bread and then compete against one another. And then the deliberation process happens at the end of like the four days or five-day process even though people know who’s going to be on the team. I missed that fun part of it of just getting together, but I wish my brothers well.”
Kyrie Irving says he misses the days when players tried out for Team USA and competed against each other
“I wish my brothers well. I just didn’t fit in to this team. I think the deliberation process was a tough one. But again, I have nothing but respects to those guys of… pic.twitter.com/Tnvhw7pgbx
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 18, 2024
Kyrie Irving’s comments highlight a change in Team USA’s selection process. In the past, players would participate in tryouts, competing against each other for a coveted spot on the national team. This fostered a sense of camaraderie and fierce competition, as Irving describes.
Today, Team USA relies on a committee to select players based on their recent performance, experience, and fit within the team’s overall strategy. While this approach prioritizes on-court success, it lacks the “fun part” of head-to-head competition that Irving misses.
