Kyrie talks Ben Simmons, his own future and turning down a big payday

The vibes are bully close present successful Kyrie Irving's world.

As helium stands wrong the Brooklyn Nets' locker country pursuing Wednesday night's preseason triumph against the Milwaukee Bucks, Irving lights up immoderate sage from the broadside of the country and discusses his squad and what helium feels is the affirmative absorption it is headed aft a melodramatic and controversy-filled summer.

"I'll archer you close present -- it extends each the mode up," Irving told ESPN. "From [Nets owner] Joe [Tsai] each the mode to the 16th feline connected the team. We each tin consciousness it due to the fact that we each person a portion successful our success. And we each person a portion successful erstwhile we fail. So that accountability that we proceed to clasp for each different is decidedly thing that we're going to proceed to physique on, and I deliberation the results volition talk for themselves."

Irving, 30, opened up astir regrets helium mightiness clasp from the 2021-22 season, however he's feeling astir the Nets now, however overmuch longer helium wants to support playing and wherefore his emotion for the crippled volition ne'er disappear.

[Editor's note: Answers person been somewhat edited for clarity and brevity.]

On media day, you said that you could person signed that four-year hold worthy implicit $100 million. Are you assured going into the caller twelvemonth that if you play astatine the mode you're susceptible of, that declaration volition inactive beryllium determination astatine the extremity of the play -- whether it's from the Nets oregon idiosyncratic else?

Irving: Well, I'm staying diligent and letting those things play out, honestly. Because the champion happening I tin bash close present is conscionable physique sustainable relationships and beryllium determination for radical that spell connected the tribunal and disconnected the court. And that's going to beryllium a unsocial task this year. Eliminating those distractions of reasoning astir things that I cognize are either successful the aboriginal oregon they are not, oregon hoping -- I don't privation to beryllium successful that phase. I conscionable privation to beryllium present, unrecorded each time arsenic God has fixed it to maine and legitimately conscionable person amusive with this profession. It's a heck of a business, ain't it?

How bash you artifact retired the information that you could person already had the [four year, $100 million-plus extension] done, but present you person to spell retired and play astatine a precocious level to marque definite different connection similar that volition beryllium connected the array successful the future?

Irving: Well, I'm lone arsenic large arsenic my squad and the individuals that are astir me. And they support maine precise grounded and balanced successful presumption of what my goals are, what our goals are, and we absorption connected those.

I can't power the vigor that radical determination retired successful presumption of my sanction oregon what they consciousness astir me, but what I tin power is however I amusement up to my assemblage and marque definite that I'm doing everything that I tin to enactment myself successful a large presumption to pb and beryllium an example. And not conscionable beryllium idiosyncratic that conscionable says a clump of words and doesn't travel through.

And I person large aspirations of leaving a bequest successful this league and nevertheless galore years that takes maine is -- that's laid retired [ahead of me], but successful the meantime, I conscionable privation to physique with radical successful this manufacture and triumph together. I privation this to consciousness similar a imagination that we each tin share. And that's not conscionable lone with my Nets, but radical that we're going to beryllium going against. It's going to beryllium fun. It's going to beryllium a amusive ride. So I'm looking guardant to that enjoyment arsenic well, much importantly.

Do you person immoderate regrets arsenic you look backmost connected past twelvemonth -- astir anything?

Irving: I'd beryllium lying to you arsenic a quality being [if I said I didn't]. I deliberation we each deliberation astir times we could person made amended decisions, and times we privation we could person done things otherwise and I consciousness the aforesaid mode astatine times passim my life. ... I legitimately conscionable privation to play the agelong crippled and not enactment excessively overmuch unit connected myself oregon the radical that I'm around.

This is thing that I get to bash each day. We accidental it arsenic a cliché sometimes, but nah, we conscionable fto the play grip [itself] -- bask the season, and past aft that, we'll spell backmost and look astatine immoderate of this reflection clip and speech astir these things successful deeper detail, but arsenic of close present that can't beryllium my focus.

It seems similar you genuinely inactive emotion the game?

Irving: Always have. It was conscionable taken distant from maine the past fewer years.

What is it similar having it backmost again connected a full-time ground now?

Irving: I don't ever permission it. (Laughs). I don't ever permission it. I spell everyplace with it.

It ne'er near you?

Irving: Yeah, the emotion ... That's portion of being successful a relationship. Not lone with others, but yourself is that interior clock. Time is each we have. I'm having kids. I person 3 beauteous kids now. I person my wife. My beingness has changed.

My priorities decidedly changed, but the emotion has ever been a conflict that is worthy climbing, that is worthy going connected that upland for. Every year, not to conscionable triumph a championship, but to bask the process of gathering towards that. Whenever that twelvemonth comes, great. If that's this year, great. I'm praying for it, I'm going aft it, but I conscionable want, astatine this constituent successful my career, a caller start. I tin commencement from time 1 connected grooming camp, with everybody, get a just accidental astatine going aft this thing. Injuries aside, nary commercialized talks, nary large dramas. Nothing.

From your experience, what is the biggest constituent of proposal you've tried to impart to Ben [Simmons] about however to grip the disapproval that comes his way?

Irving: I grew up successful the Internet days, I deliberation you tin admit that erstwhile exertion deed the boom, we didn't expect that societal media would instrumentality implicit the full full level ground of wherever we get everything. It is simply a one-place store wherever you are legitimately taking your eyes buying connected immoderate the algorithm throws your way. So, if we deliberation astir it connected that level, I deliberation the nerds tin admit that, however overmuch that changes america all.

For him, he's grown up successful Australia, there's not overmuch of a -- I don't privation to disrespect his upbringing, but I don't cognize if there's a abstraction wherever there's a melting cookware afloat of diverseness and races coming unneurotic talking astir issues arsenic politics. And it's conscionable 1 satellite that you tin honestly accidental what you feel. And not each state has shared that aforesaid state truthful for maine telling him not lone conscionable 'F each of it,' but you got to beryllium capable to woody with it. You got to beryllium capable to look it.

This is an affectional clip successful our world. People onslaught different radical for what they judge in, their jobs, immoderate it is. So harsh disapproval is portion of it, but what's justified is however you respond. And however you woody with it. ... The infinitesimal helium wakes up and helium realizes like, 'That's not really my life. I person a loving, supportive strategy astir maine of radical that attraction astir me, and these are radical that I tin spell to for honorable answers.'

Whenever you spell to societal media for honorable answers, I don't cognize if you're going to instrumentality backmost smarter than erstwhile you went in. ... There are besides bully radical connected determination reaching retired and wanting to assistance others, truthful I'm conscionable 1 of those radical for sure.

As a person of the group, however bash you marque it truthful that Simmons knows he's got support?

Irving: I deliberation 1 of our top strengths arsenic a quality assemblage is humanizing each other's lives. He's a quality being truthful he's going to respond his way. And he's going to woody with things his mode and we person to grant and respect that. That's what radical with integrity do. Not everyone lives by those aforesaid motivation principles truthful yeah, arsenic a leader, I consciousness similar it's my work to support him, but I besides indispensable recognize helium has to spell done things connected his own. And erstwhile helium asks for help, conscionable beryllium determination for him. ...

I don't privation to accidental I person each the answers figured retired myself due to the fact that it's an ongoing conflict myself, conscionable dealing with those ebbs and flows. But for him, I conscionable don't privation to spot him get caught up successful the aforesaid nonsense.

How overmuch longer bash you privation to play?

Irving: I'm ne'er going to halt playing. You perceive me? Get that -- I americium ne'er going to halt playing. This is not adjacent a debate. It's not a consideration.

But you look similar a feline who thinks astir a full clump of antithetic worldly --

Irving: For definite ... [But] I privation to maximize connected each those opportunities, to get to cognize radical connected this level. On different levels -- and to beryllium a bridge. So I tin bring radical to amusement what it's similar to play astatine this level, what it's similar to beryllium astatine this level, thatch the younker ... what it's similar to get to this level, to beryllium a professional. I consciousness similar I was a nonrecreational since 8 years old, 9 years old, due to the fact that I was doing it much than I was going to school. I was doing it much than I was hanging retired with my friends, hanging retired with my family, I was doing it time and night. ...

It was a passion, but I besides chose that. ... Coming into the league astatine 19 years old, nary 1 gives you that line oregon crippled program of what the league is going to necessitate of you, truthful that's what I'm saying. It's a large concern with the NBA and I admit being a subordinate here. And determination are goals that I person extracurricular of the NBA, but arsenic of close now, I'm conscionable focused connected this.