In a recent appearance on Kai Cenat’s live stream, Kyrie Irving opened up about his past comments regarding the flat-earth conspiracy theory.
During the stream, Irving was asked if he still believed the Earth was flat, to which he responded,
“Do I still think the Earth is flat? Nah, but I got into so much trouble for that. You got to be careful with that, man.”
Irving first made headlines with his flat-earth comments back in February 2017 during an appearance on the “Road Trippin'” podcast with his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammates Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson. He stated,
“The Earth is flat… I’m telling you, it’s right in front of our faces. They lie to us.”
This sparked significant backlash and criticism from the public and the scientific community. During the Kai Cenat stream, Irving now reflected on the consequences of his comments, acknowledging the trouble he faced as a result. He explained,
“I got in so much trouble for that. You got to be careful with that, man.”
When asked why he faced such backlash, Irving simply replied, “Influence.”
Kyrie Irving reveals he got in big trouble for saying the Earth was flat 😭 pic.twitter.com/2zppCxSvpD
— rocky (@whatuprocky) November 29, 2024
Back in 2017, after getting into trouble, Irving clarified that his intention was not to challenge scientific facts but to question the status quo and encourage critical thinking. He stated,
“The whole intent behind it, it wasn’t to bash science. I was being somewhat of a contrarian as I claimed that I had set up the whole thing as an exploitation tactic. I wanted to expose how quick people can be to dismiss those who disagree with them.”
Irving admitted that he didn’t fully understand the impact of his comments at the time and eventually issued a public apology. He shared,
“At the time I didn’t realize the effect. I was definitely at that time, ‘I’m a big conspiracy theorist. You can’t tell me anything.’ I’m sorry about all that.”
Irving has since learned to be more cautious with his statements, especially given his influence as a public figure.
Now with the Dallas Mavericks, he continues to be a forward-thinking athlete but has become more mindful of the topics he addresses publicly. The star guard emphasized the importance of picking the right moments to speak out and ensuring that his activism does not negatively impact his career or personal life.
