Kyrie Irving questions ESPN for labeling James Harden ‘disgruntled’

After James Harden publicly put Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey on blast, Kyrie Irving took issue with how ESPN labeled his former teammate.

Monday morning, The Athletic’s Shams Charania shared a video of Harden ripping Morey while speaking to the crowd at an Adidas event in China.

“Daryl Morey is a liar, and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden says in the video. “Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar, and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”

Harden’s criticism of Morey expectedly drew applause from the crowd. In 2019, Morey tweeted support of pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong as they fought against the Chinese government. However, he quickly returned his allegiance after China issued a harsh response, threatening the NBA’s business relationship with the country. Harden may have been playing to the crowd, but he was also airing his grievances after Morey and the 76ers reportedly ended trade talks involving the 10-time All-Star.

In response to the video, ESPN wrote a story titled, “Disgruntled 76ers star James Harden slams ‘liar’ Daryl Morey.” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski later shared the article on Twitter, which prompted Kyrie Irving to question the use of “disgruntled.”

https://twitter.com/KyrieIrving/status/1691147777634447360

“Is he Disgruntled, Adrian??” Irving wrote. “Or is he holding Darryl [sic] Morey accountable for his dishonesty and lack of transparency throughout the contract negotiation process this summer?”

To be clear, Harden is disgruntled, defined as angry or dissatisfied. Harden might be holding Morey accountable, but he’s also undeniably angry and unhappy with the 76ers president. Harden agreed to pick up his $35.6 million player option in June, assuming that Morey and the 76ers would trade him. The 33-year-old Harden could have declined the option to become a free agent. He was also eligible for a $210 million, four-year contract from the 76ers, but they never offered the max deal.

Taking the $35.6 million player option seemed like Harden’s best chance at getting dealt out of Philadelphia. Still, after they were unsuccessful in finding a trade partner, Morey expects its disgruntled star to participate in the 76ers training camp. Maybe Morey lied or misled Harden during the offseason, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t now aggrieved about being stuck in Philly.

[Kyrie Irving]