Kyrie Irving admits he never wanted Steve Nash as a head coach of the Brooklyn Nets: “There were other candidates out there that had championship experience” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
When James Harden joined the Brooklyn Nets in January 2021, a Hall of Fame-caliber lineup formed on paper, featuring Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Steve Nash as head coach — and it looked terrifying.
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Three superstars came together to form a big three, with one of the greatest basketball minds in history leading them from the bench. Though he had no head coaching experience, Nash was part of the Golden State Warriors’ staff during their championship runs.
Kyrie didn’t think Nash was the right fit for the Nets
On paper, Nash seemed like a perfect fit for this group. He came up under Steve Kerr, his basketball IQ was unquestionable, and he was once a superstar himself — he understood how superstars operate. However, the project quickly fell apart, and from the start, it felt like it may have been too much for the former two-time MVP to handle in his first coaching job.
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“I already had my own thoughts on how the coaching situation was gonna go. I felt like there were other candidates out there that could have definitely been our head coach that had championship experience,” Irving said on Twitch. “I think Steve had championship experience in his own way in his role that he played at Golden State, but as far as being head coach, I had my own thoughts.”
“He even admitted to me that he had his own reserves on coaching me and I had my reserves on being coached by him. We had already hashed that out, but I’m not gonna sit here and pretend like yeah, it was all easy around everything in Brooklyn.”
There was never real chemistry in their relationship
This is just the latest development in the tension between Irving and Nash. Rumors had circulated that Irving would often oppose the plays Nash drew up during timeouts, completely ignoring his coach’s instructions.
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He also stirred things up with comments like not seeing how the Nets even had a head coach, claiming that both he and KD could take on that role. And while Irving is now choosing his words more carefully and not directly calling Nash out, it was clear there was never real chemistry in their relationship.
An anonymous scout told the New York Post that during the one game where the Nets lost to the Indiana Pacers, he watched Irving ignore Nash’s play calls and do something else instead, numerous times.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” the scout said. “Nash would call something, and he’d run the opposite. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
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Irving may have been a major burden on that team
The real reason why Irving, who isn’t typically known as a disruptive player, behaved this way toward his coach, who also happens to be a legend of the game, still isn’t known. But from today’s perspective, it’s not hard to conclude that Irving may have been a significant burden on that team despite his talent.
At the time, he was constantly in the spotlight for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine and frequently made headlines for off-court topics, including his belief that the Earth is flat. It seemed like his focus during that career stretch was largely elsewhere.
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And while his opinion that the Nets, given their star-studded roster, needed a proven and experienced head coach instead of a rookie may hold water, he could’ve looked to the example of his rival Stephen Curry, who also got Steve Kerr as a rookie coach and went on to win four rings together.
Either way, Nash hasn’t returned to coaching since, while Irving has somewhat calmed down as his career has continued.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 26, 2025, where it first appeared.