It’s all connected.
Kyrie Irving’s basketball genius on the court can’t be separated from his deplorable moments off the court. As he gets set to take center stage at the NBA Finals, it’s what makes Irving perhaps the most polarizing player in the NBA.
His actions while he was with the Nets are well-documented. He became a part-time player due to his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine. He became a prominent face of antisemitism when he promoted a movie with abhorrent anti-Jewish sentiment and messaging on his social media accounts. He refused to apologize for it until the Nets suspended him indefinitely, but added that he agreed with points made in the movie, titled “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.” Irving later deleted his apology. He shared a video about “secret societies in America of occults” from Alex Jones, who was ordered to pay nearly $1 billion for lying about the Sandy Hook shooting and suggesting that it was staged. He purposefully stomped and dragged his feet on the Celtics logo at TD Garden, and also gave the middle finger to a Celtics fan.
And that was just with Brooklyn.
Earlier in his career, he became a face of failure with the Celtics as the team woefully underperformed before Irving left in free agency despite promising Boston fans he was staying. That, coupled with the Nets’ Big 3 era ending in disaster and his push to leave LeBron James’ side after three straight Finals runs with the Cavaliers earned Irving a reputation of being a team-wrecker.
Antisemite. Headache. Team destroyer. Conspiracy theorist.
Irving carried all those labels before the Mavericks acquired him last year. His reputation for making the teams he joined worse only furthered as the Mavericks spiraled (and tanked) out of the playoffs last season and got off to a brutal start this season.
But as Irving finally began staying relatively quiet and focusing on basketball, he started to flourish again. And because of that, the Mavericks now find themselves in the Finals.
On the court, Irving’s greatness has been undeniable. He’s one of the most unique players of this generation, possessing mesmerizing abilities to beat opponents off the dribble and acrobatically finish at the rim.
In recent weeks, the conversations regarding Irving have largely focused on that — his stellar performances. All of a sudden, many of his prior deeds have faded to the back of people’s minds, and the public perception of Irving has rebounded significantly.
It feels like that discourse has been missing crucial context, however.
Though he’s avoided making the news for the wrong reasons lately, how much should Irving really be forgiven? Can we watch him excel without acknowledging the harm he’s caused? Can we separate the player from his beliefs?
There’s no way to know how much Irving still believes those views, but he’s hardly shown any remorse. Quite the opposite — he’s chosen to double down on much of it.
So no, they can’t be separated. Though Irving’s public standing might have fluctuated, the hate he spread sticks with him. When Irving takes the court Thursday night for Game 1 against the Celtics (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC), he’ll be all of those things — an antisemite, an incredibly talented point guard, a conspiracy theorist and the Mavericks’ orchestrator.
It’s all connected.
Yankees 5, Twins 1: Luis Gil added to his legend with another six shutout innings (one hit, six strikeouts) to lead the Yankees (43-19) to their sixth straight win. As The Post’s Joel Sherman wrote: “He is making you wonder if there is going to be a third ‘G’ with Guidry and Gooden when it comes to magical pitching seasons.” Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton homered, and Aaron Judge had a two-run double.
Hartford 5, Somerset 4: Even more important to the Yankees’ big picture was what happened at their Double-A affiliate, where ace Gerrit Cole recorded 3.1 shutout innings on 45 pitches, touching 97 mph on the radar gun, in his first rehab start as he returns from an elbow injury. Cole will make additional rehab start(s), but said he’s “definitely close.”
Mets 6, Nationals 3: David Peterson pitched capably into the seventh inning, Dedniel Núñez provided some rare steady relief, Harrison Bader and Pete Alonso went deep and the Mets (26-35) now can secure their first sweep since April in Wednesday’s late-afternoon series finale.
Liberty 88, Sky 75: Led by a Breanna Stewart masterpiece (33 points, 14 rebounds, omnipresent defense), the Liberty improved to 8-2 overall and 2-0 in Commissioner’s Cup games. Chicago’s Angel Reese was ejected in the final minutes following two (very soft) technical fouls.
Cover your eyes.
It’s ugly.
With Darren Waller appearing set to retire, as The Post’s Paul Schwartz wrote last week, the Giants’ run of futility when it comes to the third round of the NFL Draft continues. The Giants hardly have been able to find any contributors in the third round, and now can’t even use those picks to trade for one.
The Giants sent a 2023 third-round pick, which they originally acquired from the Chiefs in the Kadarius Toney trade, to the Raiders in exchange for Waller. Expected to be the team’s top pass-catcher last season, Waller played just 12 games and recorded 52 catches for 552 yards and one touchdown. One year later, he seems ready to walk away from football.
Not exactly a good return on investment.
In terms of players they actually drafted, you could count on one hand how many the Giants picked in the third round who were became serviceable.
Let’s take a look:
2023: TE Darren Waller (trade) and WR Jalin Hyatt
2022: OG Joshua Ezeudu and CB Cor’Dale Flott
2021: CB Aaron Robinson
2020: OT Matt Peart
2019: EDGE Oshane Ximines
2018: EDGE Lorenzo Carter and DT B.J. Hill
2017: QB Davis Webb
2016: S Darian Thompson
2015: DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa
2014: DT Jay Bromley
2013: DE Damontre Moore
2012: CB Jayron Hosley
2011: WR Jerrel Jernigan
2010: S Chad Jones
2009: WR Ramses Barden and TE Travis Beckum
Flott is likely to enter the season as the Giants’ No. 2 cornerback, and though Hyatt had a quiet rookie year, the jury is certainly still out on his future. Carter and Hill were starters, but beyond them, it’s slim pickings.
While opponents are finding starters in the third round, the Giants keep coming up empty.
If this is the end, it’s been a hell of a ride.
The Bronze Bomber was one of a kind.
Deontay Wilder was knocked out by Zhilei Zhang on Saturday in a heavyweight clash in Saudi Arabia. It marked the 38-year-old Wilder’s second consecutive loss and fourth in his past five bouts. He’s been dominated in his past two fights.
He hasn’t yet made any decision about his future, but it seems like it should be time for Wilder to hang up the gloves.
If it is, it will close a memorable chapter in American boxing. At a time when American interest in the sport was waning, Wilder helped attract fans with an exhilarating style, knocking out 42 opponents. He would finish with a 43-4-1 record, and his knockout-to-win ratio (97.6 percent) is the highest in heavyweight history.
Don’t let the end of his career mar his legacy. Wilder is an all-time heavyweight great.
Tuesday will go down as a sordid day in the history of how betting is policed in North American sports. Here were the slips:
• Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was banned from Major League Baseball for life for betting on Pirates games while he was a member of the team last season. A sad irony: Marcano did not win any of the 25 wagers he placed on the Pirates (he was on the injured list at the time).
• Four other players received one-year suspensions for betting on other teams: A’s reliever Michael Kelly, Diamondbacks reliever Andrew Saalfrank, Padres pitching prospect Jay Groome and Phillies infield prospect Jose Rodriguez.
Read more: MLB needs to go overkill with betting warnings before a major scandal explodes
• Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud and admitted to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off sports betting debts. Mizuhara faces up to 33 years in federal prison.
• A Brooklyn man, Long Phi “Bruce” Pham, was arrested for allegedly conspiring with Jontay Porter, who was banned for life from the NBA, to place bets on games with the former Raptors forward.
???? The Post’s Larry Brooks recommends trading away Kaapo Kakko this offseason if the Rangers can find the right deal. More from a regret-filled Rangers breakup day: Blake Wheeler might retire, Adam Fox confirmed he re-injured his knee and Matt Rempe talked up his goals for next season.
???? The Jets have a potential contract situation brewing with Haason Reddick, who has been absent from OTAs.
⚽ Sixteen-year-old Lily Yohannes scored 10 minutes into her debut with the United States women’s national team. What dreams are made of.
???? JJ Redick to the Lakers looks like it’s really happening.
???? Novak Djokovic quit the French Open due to a knee injury.