Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Kyrie Irving reveals leader behind Steve Nash hiring as Nets coach

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Jul 23, 2025 8:53 AM ET

In 2020, Steve Nash was a shock head coaching hire by the Brooklyn Nets. He replaced Kenny Atkinson, who had earned significant praise for the work he was doing with the franchise. However, once Joe Tsai and Sean Marks changed direction, from rebuilding to running with a superteam, Atkinson's days were numbered.

Nash had the unenviable task of trying to coach a team with three future Hall of Famers: James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. And while, on paper, that team should be a homerun for a championship, it's undoubtedly a tall order for a rookie head coach.

During a recent Twitch stream, Irving revealed that Durant was the driving force behind Nash's appointment as head coach.

"Steve wasn't even in the play yet," Irving said. "But this is your man's. This is your man. So I got to support that. This is your man's, cool. You want him? Cool. You like Steve? I love Steve. You know what I'm saying? Cool. As a younger brother, I'm like, okay. I don't care. That's fine. You want Steve to coach. That's fine."

KD on Nets: "It felt like we were committed but everybody else wasn't"

Kyrie: "Nah…when he said this…I was like…we're all committed…but not everybody's gonna do what you want them to do…Steve wasn't even in the play in! But this your mans…You want Steve to coach?…Fine…" pic.twitter.com/nfDhOm8tOA
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) July 23, 2025

Irving's comments on Nash being hired are part of his response to Durant's recent remarks on the "Mind The Game" podcast, where he questioned the commitment of other members of Brooklyn's roster at the time.

At the time, Nash's addition to the Nets as head coach raised a lot of eyebrows. For all of his on-court brilliance, he was a rookie head coach, being given the keys to a juggernaut. There were rightfully concerns regarding his suitability for the job. Nash led the Nets to a 94-67 record during his 161 games in the hot seat.

During his tenure with the Nets, Irving served a lengthy suspension to begin the 2021-22 season, as he was unwilling to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

Little did we know it at the time, but that was the beginning of the end for his tenure in Brooklyn, and as a knock-on effect, of Nash's first and only foray into the head coaching world.

At least now, we finally have the answer as to why Brooklyn thought it would be wise to hire a rookie head coach to lead a championship charge — Kevin Durant wanted them to.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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