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Kyrie Irving may be in Dallas now, but his latest comments show just how highly he regards his time with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn. Even without a championship banner, Irving believes their pairing was something the NBA had rarely, if ever, seen before, per BasketballNetwork.
“I will say this,” Irving said on his Twitch stream. “The 7/11 duo of me and KD will never be topped in terms of just being on the court with somebody that special. I’ve played with a lot of great players, but playing with KD — that was OD. One of the best of all time.”
Kyrie speaks on the duo of him and Kevin Durant in Brooklyn
“The 7/11 duo of me and KD will never be topped in terms of being on the court with somebody that special” pic.twitter.com/tecYyOf9eC
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) July 23, 2025
Irving and Durant joined forces in Brooklyn with expectations of rewriting the Nets’ history. While their chemistry was undeniable in flashes, the two stars never truly had a chance to reach their potential as a duo. Injuries, suspensions, and roster inconsistency kept them from achieving the level of dominance many predicted.
Kyrie reflects on Brooklyn’s chaos
Irving also opened up about his turbulent tenure with the Nets, including the peak of the COVID-19 saga that sidelined him for home games due to New York City’s vaccine mandate. Instead of staying in limbo, Kyrie admitted he made a bold request. “Can you please just release me?” he said of his plea to the Nets during that time.
The frustrations of that period added to the already complicated dynamic in Brooklyn. From health setbacks to a lack of continuity with the roster, the “7/11” experiment was plagued with issues. Irving even suggested that losing members of the coaching staff, like Ime Udoka who left for Boston, played a role in their struggles.
“Ime Udoka literally went to the Boston Celtics after coaching with us,” Kyrie said. “That was crazy. We had coaches leaving for other teams. And it wasn’t anybody’s fault, it’s just opportunity. But we’re in the same division. Can you imagine going against the coach that literally saw all our strengths and weaknesses and now we’re playing against them?”
Kyrie Irving’s reflections make it clear that while Brooklyn never lived up to its lofty expectations, the connection he shared with Durant still holds a special place in his career.
