Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters Insist They Don’t Hate Each Other

A war of words broke out on the Internet between a couple of Cleveland pro sports stars, as All-Star Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving lashed out at Browns receiver Josh Gordon regarding comments about Irving’s relationship with teammate Dion Waiters. The two Cavs guards say everything’s fine between them. Per the Akron Beacon Journal:

“I love him as a friend, teammate, everything,” Waiters said of Irving. “I just want everybody to know that. I don’t hate this guy. I’m pretty sure he don’t hate me. I know he don’t hate me. I hope he don’t hate me.”

Waiters woke up from a nap Sunday and discovered he was caught in crossfire between his teammate, Irving, and his friend, Browns receiver Josh Gordon, after Gordon appeared on ESPN’s First Take recently and said he knew about a “rift” in the Cavs’ locker room.

Irving responded to the Beacon Journal and told Gordon to “stay in his sport and mind his own business,” which prompted Gordon to respond on Twitter that his remarks must have “touched a nerve.”

All of which led to Monday’s scene at Cleveland Clinic Courts, when the two young guards appeared together cracking jokes and presenting a united front.

“Throughout this whole year, with us two not liking each other, it’s total BS,” Waiters said. “We’ve been friends before we even made the NBA, before any of this. … Yeah, we still need to learn certain things. But I think at the end of the day, we’re genuinely friends.”

Waiters, who lives in the same building as Gordon, was playing pool with him Sunday night after this latest dust-up. Waiters set up a phone call between Irving and Gordon, too.

“There was no disrespect on my end to him or anything he does. I have the utmost respect for him,” Irving said. “But what I was just trying to clearly say was what Dion has been reiterating — what goes on with us, we want to keep it within us. We’ve had numerous occasions where we’ve been in the media about me and Dion’s relationship. I think me and him are just tired of it.”

“I don’t talk about things that are going on inside the locker room. No, I don’t do that,” Waiters said. “He plays football. I play basketball. Two different sports. At the end of the day, I’m not going to go down there running my mouth on something that he don’t even know what’s going on.”

“I didn’t see the interview, so I don’t know what it’s really all about,” Waiters said. “I didn’t see it on TV or whatnot. That’s his opinion. Everybody has their own opinion. He’s entitled to say what he said. He’s a man at the end of the day.”