Why do Celtics fans despise Kyrie Irving? The beef explained

Kyrie Irving may be the most hated man in Boston right now.

Celtics fans greeted him with boos at TD Garden Thursday night when he was announced before Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

“I thought it was going to be louder in here,” Irving said during a post-game press conference.

Around Boston, t-shirts state the obvious: Many Celtics fans despise Irving.

But it wasn't always this way.

The son of Drederick Irving, a Boston University basketball hall-of-famer, fans fell in love with Kyrie Irving when he joined the Celtics in 2017.

“There was a honeymoon period when he first got there. They were great. They won 16 games early in the year. Everything was really sunshine and puppy dogs,” said Chris Forsberg, NBA Insider for NBC Sports Boston.

But Forsberg says things quickly became rocky.

After just two seasons with the Celtics and a pledge to resign if they'd have him, Irving left for the Nets.

“It was so weird how he had said he wanted to be here, wanted to be up in the rafters, and then all the sudden it was I'm going to start a super-team without you,” said Forsberg.

The drama, he says, deepened when Irving stomped on the Celtics logo during a playoff game against the Nets.

“For Celtics fans, it’s like, that’s disrespectful,” said Forsberg. “Fans have not forgotten that.”

Irving joined the Mavs in 2023 and being in the Finals against the Celtics brings the story full circle.

“Now on this big stage with the championship in the balance, it’s kind of reignited everything and you get the sense that fans have been reactivated,” explained Forsberg.

In the post-game press conference Thursday night, Kyrie shared no ill will against Boston. He said he was at a different point in his career when he played for the Celtics.

Boston rolled to a decisive 107-89 victory in Game 1 of the Finals.

Game 2 is Sunday night at TD Garden.