Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) drives to the basket against Boston Celtics guard Jordan Walsh during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) AP

Dallas Mavericks star point guard Kyrie Irving, 33, has a history of promoting various conspiracy theories and making controversial statements.

The latest one targets celebrities, and whether they are true human beings, who can think for themselves, and live life with integrity.

“This whole celebrity idea is eroding,” Irving said on Monday. The whole fame idea is eroding. That s–t was sold to us, ya’ll. You’ve got people out here that are human, that are acting everyday of their life. They are not even real. They [are] just on NPC s–t. Everyday, they are acting.”

This is not the first time the NBA great has gone viral for something he has said.

Irving was suspended by the Brooklyn Nets for five games in Nov. 2022 without pay for posting a link to a film that contained antisemitic content on his Twitter feed and refusing to apologize to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for it.

Irving later apologized for not responding sooner to the backlash and for not clarifying where he stood, before deleting the Instagram post once he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

Irving famously claimed in 2017 that he believed the Earth was flat, which he later appeared to walk back. In 2018, he apologized to science teachers for suggesting the Earth might be flat, acknowledging the impact of his comments.

Irving also shared a video by Alex Jones suggesting “secret societies” or “occults” control America. He claimed to believe this to be true, while clarifying he does not support Jones’ false claims about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Irving has stated he believes President John F. Kennedy was assassinated because he attempted to “end the bank cartel in the world,” suggesting the Federal Reserve played a role.

He also refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19, which caused Irving to miss a significant portion of the 2021-22 NBA season due to vaccine mandates. He stated he was “rooted in his decision” and that it was about “choosing what’s best for me”.

Irving’s comments, particularly those regarding antisemitism and vaccines, have been met with significant backlash and criticism, but that obviously hasn’t stopped the nine-time NBA All-Star from speaking his mind.

“The world is a stage, dawg, and there are a lot of terrible actors out here,” Irving reiterated. “I’m just going to say it. … The whole idea of celebrity, bruh. If you are not a real person and you can’t stand on your morals and principles out here, move out the way.”

Irving is recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee that ruptured during a game in late March, causing him to miss the rest of the 2024-25 season. Irving has undergone surgery and is in the early stages of rehabilitation.

Todderick Hunt covers Sports and Culture and Recruiting. Have a story idea or a tip? He can be reached atthunt@njadvancemedia.com.