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Boston Celtics All-Star Kyrie Irving has established himself as one of the best point guards in today’s NBA, but it sounds like he’s already contemplating his retirement plan.
Irving, now 26 years of age, recently told Celtics beat reporter Marc D’Amico that he would like to play into his mid-30’s. If he so chooses, he could play nine more years and retire at 35.
Kyrie Irving says he only wants to play in the NBA until his early to mid-30s.
— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) November 23, 2018
The Celtics are off to an unexpected start to this season. Coming into this campaign, most experts and analysts were already writing them in as the Eastern Conference favorite. Now, however, with a 9-9 start under their belt, some critics are asking what the problem is.
In his 17 appearances with the Celtics this season (all starts), Irving has racked up averages of 22.4 points on 48.7 percent shooting from the field (38.2 percent from beyond the arc), 6.4 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 32.9 minutes per outing.
If Irving were to retire in his mid-30’s, his legacy would already be set in stone. One of the best ball handlers the league has ever known, the former No. 1 overall pick has several prestigious achievements to his credit, including a Rookie of the Year title (2012), five All-Star selections, and one NBA championship (2016).
Exactly how long Irving will remain in the NBA remains to be seen, but the fact that he is already contemplating such a life decision is certainly interesting.
Irving and the Celtics will be back in action on Friday night, as they’re scheduled to face the Atlanta Hawks. Tip-off inside State Farm Arena is set for 7:30 p.m. EST.