It wouldn’t be an outlandish statement to claim Kyrie Irving is the most skilled player to ever play the game of basketball, something he himself suggested only recently. NBA talent such as Evan Fournier and Kendrick Perkins declared him as such, with the former saying it’s “no debate” after he dropped 60 on the Magic in March 2022.
Fast-forward to today, and Jeff Teague finds himself on a similar line of thinking. He took to his Club 520 podcast to compare Irving to Michael Jordan in regard to their offensive packages.
Jeff Teague Compares Kyrie Irving to Michael Jordan
The Club 520 boys were in for a treat when Teague said,
“I feel like if Kyrie Irving was 6’6, I know we say that about a lot of people, but if he was 6’6, he would’ve been the best NBA player ever. He would’ve been better than Michael Jordan.”
B-Hen’s response was an immediate “d**n,” which was followed up with him calling Teague “crazy” for his take.
“Bro, what could he not do bro? Name me something he can’t do. He’s not scared of the moment. If he was 6’6? There’s no weakness in his game,” continued Teague.
B-Hen did argue that MJ was better defensively and more athletic, with Teague’s rebuttal being, “He was a good defender ‘cus he was 6’6,” and “Kyrie’s pretty athletic.”
“He would’ve been better than Kobe if he was 6’6. There’s nothing he can’t do. He dribbles better than everybody. He shoots just as good as everybody. He finishes at the rim just as good as everybody,” said Teague on KAI’s offensive game.
Jeff Teague says if Kyrie Irving was 6’6” he would be better than Michael Jordan:
“It’s nothing he can’t do. Bro, what could he not do? What can he not do, bro? Name me something he can’t do. He’s not scared of the moment, if he was 6’6” it’s no weakness in his game.”
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A major factor in Irving being as good as he is is that he is closer to 6 feet than to 6’6. He developed a brilliant ability to finish at the rim because he couldn’t dunk on everyone due to his height.
He developed his shot and numerous ways to get it off through step-backs, side-steps, and more because of his height. Perhaps he wouldn’t have worked as hard to hone these skills of his if he were four to five inches taller. But then again, the biggest concern about Kyrie and his legacy has always been injuries, and that remains true even today.
Him being the greatest dribbler of all time can be attributed to him needing to evade defenders as he isn’t big enough to impose his will over them while driving into the paint at 6 feet 2 inches tall.
Irving most recently marveled at his own game while watching his own highlights, which showcases he is very aware of his own skill level. He said,
“Y’all will never see another player like me…ever. I’m cut from a different cloth.”
He did go on to admit that there may be “better” players to come after him, but in terms of the way he plays? KAI doesn’t believe anyone else matches his game.
However, with this confidence in his game also comes a sense of wonder toward past legends. The ‘jumpmanhistory’ IG account posted a clip in 2020 of Jordan in 1998 saying, “There’s never gonna be another Michael Jordan.”
Irving responded in the comments of this post at the time and showed his respect by saying, “I hear no lies.”
So, regardless of which side of the argument fans fall on when it comes to Jeff Teague’s proclamation, it should be noted that Irving has utmost confidence in his own game while also having a great deal of respect for the Bulls legend.
