Kyrie Irving has become the latest NBA star to react to Chris Paul’s retirement.
He fell out with the Los Angeles Clippers in December and was told that he would not play another game.
CP3 was then moved to the Toronto Raptors before the trade deadline, but they decided to waive him on Friday.
The Raptors’ decision convinced Paul to call time on his NBA playing career, sparking reaction from across the league.
Kyrie Irving reacts to Chris Paul’s retirement
Irving paid tribute to Paul’s outstanding NBA career during a Twitch stream over the weekend.
However, he also admitted that he could not understand how Paul’s retirement unfolded so unceremoniously.
“He deserves his flowers,” Irving explained. “Obviously, the situation and circumstances weren’t ideal in terms of how everything happened. I was a little confused, as an outsider and a peer looking in.
“He deserves the flowers that we’re all giving him right now. I think we were all ready for the tour. The journey is different for all of us.
“I never want to see our legends go out like that in terms of the circumstances happening a few months ago. We never want to see that.
“They tried to clean it up media-wise. Some of us are reading between the lines. As a hooper, I care about my peers and my friends in this business.”
Irving is not the only player to have shown disappointment with the manner in which Paul’s NBA career has concluded.
Donovan Mitchell wishes Chris Paul retired differently
Donovan Mitchell has also spoken about Chris Paul’s controversial retirement at the NBA All-Star weekend.
Mitchell looks up to Paul as a role model and was upset to see him leave in difficult circumstances.
“The way Chris Paul retired should be changed. I think he deserved a better way to go out,” he said in a press conference.
“Obviously, he’s one hell of a player and a person. I wouldn’t be in the NBA if it weren’t for him telling me to go to the NBA.
“The way his situation went down, I don’t know who’s right or wrong; that’s not my position.
“For a Hall of Famer, a legend, and a point guard who had a high impact on our game, for him to go out like that is definitely tough. I wish it was handled differently, but I wish him nothing but the best.”
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