Fans Are Convinced This Danny Ainge Comment Is About Kyrie Irving

As Kyrie Irving‘s toxic relationship with the Boston Celtics comes to an end, Danny Ainge, the GM of the team, seems prepared for the bitter divorce. While speaking to the media about this summer’s free agency, Ainge made some subtle (but still spicy) comments that have Celtics fans convinced he was sending a shot at Irving.

“I think it just makes life more enjoyable when everybody is humble, hardworking, and will play any role they have to help the team succeed,” Ainge told reporters. “You do have to have a certain amount of talent to win in our league, as we all know, but good people makes coming to work more fun.”

Although they were vague, Ainge’s comments come after reports surfaced claiming he and Kyrie didn’t see eye-to-eye during Irving’s time in Boston. Despite claiming he would re-sign with the team during a pre-season event, in February, Kyrie reneged on this promise by stating: “I don’t owe anybody shit.”

While the motive behind his change-of-heart is unknown, Bleacher Report‘s Ric Bucher alleges Ainge and Irving got into a “tiff” over Kyrie’s leadership skills. This rift appears to have trickled down through the organization as sources disclosed to Jackie MacMullan that Kyrie “had issues with pretty much all of” the organization. 

“I’ve been told this by many people: He didn’t like living in Boston,” MacMullan said. “He just didn’t. By the end, he had issues with Brad (Stevens). By the end he had issues with Danny (Ainge). By the end he had issues with pretty much all of us.”

Also, Ainge’s subs echo the cryptic messages sent by Kyrie’s teammates during the season. Following backing out of his promise, Marcus Morris went on record claiming that the team is full of “individuals” while Terry Rozier criticized the way “All-Star players” treated coach Brad Stevens. When all of this is taken into consideration, NBA fans would be hardpressed to think Ainge isn’t sounding off on Irving.