NBA Q&A: Kyrie Irving

Courtesy of GQ

How have the Cavs gotten so much better as the season has gone along?
We've added a few pieces here and there, and guys are just improving, and the more we play together the better we get. It's just continuing being out there with those guys.

Cleveland is my favorite League Pass team because you guys play with speed and energy. And Anderson Varejao was having a great year (averaging 14 ppg and 14 rpg) before he went down for the season.
Every time you go out on the court with Andy, you know what you're going to get. He makes the game so much easier, especially when you're out there and the offense is not going well or the defense is not going well—you see one person going up and down the court, never getting tired, and that's Andy. He's the epitome of what it means to play hard.

What have you learned this season, your second time through the NBA?
Just to be more patient, and to control the game a lot more; to take on challenges on myself, all the challenges the coaching staff throws in front of me. I feel like going into my second year, I was challenged to be the leader of this team and be an elite point guard. I've tried to do that as best I can. Obviously, I've been hurt some, and no excuses on that end, but coming to the gym every day, I just try to get better every single day and be a better leader. It's hard being the youngest player on the team and trying to get everybody to buy into the system that Coach Scott has, but I feel like now, guys are maturing and we have a core group now, we can now move forward. So I'm feeling good about the team.

Leadership is interesting to try and improve because it's not something you can work on by taking more free throws or lifting more weights. It's like you're working on an emotional level.

One thing that somebody told me is that leadership is a lonely role—some people can do it and some people can't. I've kind of assumed that role as a leader and I've earned these guys' respect, and if I buy in and lead by example and with my voice, I feel like we can take this thing to the next level.

Has Brandon Knight spoken to you since All-Star Weekend?

[Laughs] You know, me and B have always had a fierce competition between us. It was all just part of the game, that's all.

Have you ever had your ankles broken that badly?
No, I have not.

There's been talk lately about getting LeBron into the dunk contest. You've already won the three-point contest, what would it take to get you in the dunk contest?
Aw man, I am not getting in the dunk contest. I probably have three dunks on the year, and that's enough. I'm saving all my dunks for when I hit my prime, and that's about eight years from now.

You've talked to GQ before about being into musicals and listening to music. When they play music during the games and you're out there on the floor, do you hear what they're playing, or do you just kind of zone it out?
Oh yeah, I hear it all the time. But it doesn't affect me, I'm so honed in on the game.

Do you listen to music pregame?
Usually I just listen to some Miguel, some Rihanna, some Jay-Z, some Chris Brown. A few things I've got, just to relax my mind. Honestly, for me it's something to do to keep my mind away from the game. I know what I need to do in the game, I know I need to execute. I've worked countless hours in the gym, so I feel like I'm already prepared for the game. So when I'm listening to music pregame, it's really just about personal enjoyment.

When you guys are going on a road trip, what are the things you don't leave home without?
I don't leave home without my Skullcandy Crushers. I don't leave home without my Bible, without my phone, and without my computer.

Is the worst part of staying in all those different hotels on the road trying to find a place to plug in your phone?
Oh, absolutely. The iPhone 5 charger is not nearly as long, so it doesn't even reach to the bedside table. So that kind of sucks sometimes.

Here's a pro tip: Maybe the best thing I ever bought on Amazon, is they have these 10-foot extension cords for the iPhone. And they only cost like three dollars. It will change your life.
For real? Aw man, that would definitely come in handy.

How do you pack for, like, a 12-day road trip?
I take everything from the dry cleaner and just throw it in there. I don't even know if it matches or anything like that, I just throw in shoes and my dry cleaning.

Do you do laundry along the way? Or do you have to pack 12 pairs of underwear?
I just buy new packs before every road trip.

So it's like disposable underwear?
Yep.

How has your sense of style changed since you've been in the NBA?
It's night and day. It's funny, because now I can tell who's a rookie in the NBA and who's been in the NBA a while by the way they're dressed. Some of our rookies, like Dion (Waiters) and Tyler (Zeller) and Kevin (Jones), they're still figuring out what kind of style they want. They come to games and—hypothetically—Tyler will have on a button down, jeans and shoes. Dion will come in some Timberlands, jeans and a Young & Reckless sports coat, or something like that. But then me and Tristan (Thompson) or Alonzo (Gee) or Shaun Livingston, we have Balenciagas on with nice jeans and nice shirts. So you pick up on the stylish things after your first year. That's when you're like, "I know I can't wear this. I know I can wear this." You're transitioning from college or wherever you're coming from to the NBA, and you have a little bit more money in your pocket.

Who did you look to last season for your style cues?
I took my style cues from Tristan. One thing I can say about Tristan, he's one of the most stylish guys on our team. Tristan has a little bit different style, but I like it. So some of the same brands and stuff like that, I looked to that as a guide.