Tony Kornheiser on why Kyrie Irving is ‘the worst teammate of all time’

The Brooklyn Nets went all in on the bet that a duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving could deliver a title to the Barclays Center, but with seemingly more off-court controversies than playoff wins since the Irving-Durant experiment started, the mercurial guard wants out before next week’s trade deadline.

It was reported on Friday that Irving has requested a trade, and that if the Nets decide to keep him, he plans to sign elsewhere as a free agent this offseason. While Irving’s on-court offensive production will likely have a few teams interested in the run to the playoffs, Irving will be expecting a long-term contract wherever he lands, and many franchises may be wary of offering guaranteed long-term money to such a volatile player.

ESPN commentator Tony Kornheiser didn’t hold back on Friday’s episode of Pardon The Interruption, labeling Irving “the worst teammate of all time.”

“He’s the worst teammate of all time. And I want to stress that, of all time. Because you cannot count on him to go to work. We have seen this for years. 

Last year he didn’t go [to work]. He didn’t take a coronavirus shot. He knew the consequences, and he didn’t play any of the home games. Year after year, he does something. In Boston, he said ‘I’ll be here forever if you’ll have me,” and then an hour later he said ‘I don’t want to be here and I’m going to leave.”

You cannot count on him. Everyone knows this about him. And he sabotages his team and the people who pay his salary, time after time after time.”

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Story originally appeared on Nets Wire