Tim Hardaway Jr. was forced to go into a bit of damage control mode this week.
Hardaway Jr’s father, Basketball Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway, recently made harsh comments about the Dallas Mavericks. The elder Hardaway slammed the leadership of both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving and voiced multiple other criticisms of the team. You can read what he said to say here.
On Wednesday, Hardaway Jr, the Mavericks guard, distanced himself from his father’s comments.
“I disagree with it 1000%,” Hardaway Jr. said, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “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,” added Hardaway Jr. “Making sure that everybody’s good on and off the floor, texting everybody in our group, a player-only chat … Nothing but leadership there … I love him to death … my dad, [but] he made a mistake. It’s his opinion, not mine. We’re two different human beings, so that’s really all I can say.”
The elder Hardaway’s comments were a troubling look since his son is on the team and is one of the longest-tenured Mavericks at that (having been in Dallas since the 2018-19 season). Thus, it feels like Hardaway Jr. almost had to come out with this statement to stamp out any unnecessary drama.
Unfortunately for the Mavericks though, their troubles extend far beyond the Hardaway family. The team is four games under .500 right now (38-42) and may need a miracle just to even qualify for the play-in tournament. Owner Mark Cuban has not really been helping matters lately either.
