Kyrie changes tune on comments about Steve Nash

Zhong Fubao - Imaginechina/Sipa USA

Kyrie Irving changes tune on coaching comments about Steve Nash

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 12/14/20

Kyrie Irving, unsurprisingly, made some perplexing comments after the Brooklyn Nets hired Steve Nash to be the team's next head coach in September.

On Monday, he admitted to reporters, whom he spoke to for the first time this season after being fined for his media blackout, that he is willing to take back his head-coaching comments from a few months ago. Irving said that he has been able to spend more time with Nash in the weeks leading up to the 2020-21 season.

Kyrie Irving says after being coached by Steve Nash for a few weeks: “I think I got to take back my comments from a few months ago.”

Irving is referring to saying on a podcast, “I don’t really see us having a head coach.”
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) December 14, 2020

Irving's controversial comments came when he appeared on an episode of Kevin Durant's "The ETCs" podcast in early October. He expressed his disinterest in aligning with the system that Nash was going to implement for the team. The Duke product said:

“I don’t really see us having a head coach. You know what I mean? KD could be a head coach. I could be a head coach.”

Irving's change in perspective comes after the Nets took down the Washington Wizards 119-114 in preseason action on Sunday. The All-Star point guard had 18 points, four assists and one rebound in his first game in 10 months.

The 28-year-old is coming off season-ending shoulder surgery while Durant is returning from an Achilles injury. Durant had 15 points, three rebounds and three assists over the weekend in his first game since the 2019 NBA Finals.

The duo looked good, though their relationship with Nash will play a key role in how well the team does into 2021. If they buy into the system, the Nets could be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. If they try to run the show, things could turn ugly quickly.

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