Nets G Kyrie Irving has been "elected as one of six" NBPA VPs, and he joins G Garrett Temple, who has served since '17, as the second VP on the Nets, according to Kristian Winfield of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Irving replaces Trail Blazers F Pau Gasol, who "served a three-year term as VP before his term expired," and joins four other VPs, including Celtics G Jaylen Brown, Trail Blazers G CJ McCollum, Pacers G Malcolm Brogdon and Hornets C Bismack Biyombo. Heat F Andre Iguodala "currently serves" as the union’s First VP, and Thunder G Chris Paul has been NBPA President since '13. Irving said of his new role, "I had been being an observer, somewhat a participant in a lot of our affairs, a lot of our voting, a lot of our issues that needed to be tackled. ... I wanted to join forces and really figure out where my place was outside of basketball within our union, and just move our union forward in more innovative ways" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/18). YAHOO SPORTS' Jason Owens wrote the decision "comes as a surprise to many who have watched criticism of his leadership follow Irving throughout his NBA career" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/17).
PERK'S NOT A FAN: ESPN's Kendrick Perkins played 14 years in the NBA, but he said he is "so glad I'm out of the league" when discussing Irving's new position in the union. Perkins said, "That's the blind leading the blind" ("The Jump," ESPN, 2/17). Perkins added Irving has "proven to all of us that he's not a leader, and I don't understand this for the life of me." Perkins: "Maybe he will surprise the world and become this better person overnight. ... We have had several occasions where he threw guys under the bus or whatever the case may be, saying he don't need certain guys or he wants this guy back. I don't see those leadership skills in Kyrie. Hopefully he proves me wrong because the players association has been moving forward in a great way. Hopefully he don't ruin it" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 2/18).
