Tim Hardaway Jr. responds to controversy over father's comments on Doncic and Irving. He disagrees with Tim's opinion that Doncic is a "crybaby" and says Luka and Kyrie are leaders both on and off the court.
Dallas Mavericks forward Tim Hardaway Jr. defended his team's backcourt stars -- Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving -- against the criticism made by his father, Tim Hardaway Sr., a former Maverick and Hall of Famer.
Hardaway Sr. blasted Doncic and called him a "crybaby" because of his behavior and frequent complaints with officials during games.
"They're missing a leader out there. Luka is not a leader, Kyrie's not a leader. Those two guys are not leaders. They're complementary, dominant basketball players, great scorers," the 56-year-old also said on an FS1 debate show called "The Carton Show."
"I disagree with it 1000%," Tim Hardaway Jr. told Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. "I've come out numerous times and told you all how much leadership Luka has shown throughout my whole entire time here in Dallas. He shows it on and off the floor, and a lot of the situations we've been in as a team, we wouldn't be in without him, so let's just set that straight.
"And Kyrie has been nothing more than a leader since he's been here, making sure that everybody's good on and off the floor, texting everybody in our group, a player-only chat just to make sure everybody's good, everybody's holding together, everybody's staying strong. Nothing but leadership there.
"It's just hard to deal with that. I love those guys. I love my teammates. I've loved every team and teammates that I've ever been a part of and been with, so just to be focusing in on this instead of the game, it's disappointing that I have to come out here and say [this]. I love him to death, like I said, my dad. He made a mistake. It's his opinion, not mine. We're two different human beings, so that's really all I can say."
Hardaway Sr. also disagreed with the Dallas' trade for Irving because it cost them Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith as "defensive anchors" of a Mavericks team that ranked sixth in the Western Conference when news of the trade broke on Feb. 5.
"I apologize on his behalf and my family's behalf, don't want nobody focusing in on that," Hardaway Jr. added. "I'm here to play basketball. I'm here to do my job to the best of my abilities, and that's what I want to focus on."
According to Callie Caplan, Hardaway Jr. also addressed his father's comments in the Mavericks' players-only group chat and talked with Doncic, Irving, and the general manager in person.
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