Kyrie Irving is officially a member of the Boston Celtics. He no longer plays with the Cleveland Cavaliers and, more importantly, he is no longer LeBron James’ teammate. As frustrating as it may be to the fans, this is just how basketball goes.

While many criticized Kyrie Irving for his abrupt decision, many understood him. For them, Irving has the potentials and skills to be the main player. Interestingly, there are reasons why people should not hate the All-Star point guard for his decision.

He is Kyrie Irving anyway

Like any other person in the world, Irving is his own man.

He owes nothing to anyone, even to the organization who took him since day one. According to Huffington Post, Irving asserted himself as the alpha male the moment he joined the Celtics. When asked about the trade during the press conference, Irving declined to answer for a moment. He instead took the chance to send his support to the victims of Hurricane Harvey. He also took a moment to send his hopes and wishes to Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder, the two players who were involved in the trade.

This proves just how classy Irving is. He understands that life in basketball is not so different from life outside. To simply put it, Irving shows that he is still in control when it comes to redirecting conversation as well as the topics he wants to discuss.

This is only right, though, if he really wants to be the alpha male in Boston.

This has been his dream really

In a report from Clutch Points, Washington Wizards superstar John Wall was asked about his view towards the Kyrie Irving trade. While Wall was quite surprise with the move, he understood Irving’s decision. For him, Irving wanted to reach the things that almost all the young players in the league wanted.

Wall also said that, in one way or another, Irving was in the right position to decide this for himself. During said press conference, Irving clarified that his decision stemmed from what he thought was “best” for him.

Irving is young and he clearly has wants in life. He is perhaps jealous of the recognition acquired by the likes of Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

Or maybe he just longs to be on a team in which he is the focal point. Either way, it cannot be denied that Irving has always wanted such recognition. If he decides to stay in Cleveland, then it will be impossible for him to reach such status. Like what most NBA players said, playing alongside James means being second.