[Friedell] Kyrie on his NBA future: “I'm never going to stop playing. You hear me? Get that — I am never going to stop playing. This is not even a debate. It’s not a consideration.”

How much longer do you want to play?

Irving: I'm never going to stop playing. You hear me? Get that — I am never going to stop playing. This is not even a debate. It's not a consideration.

But you seem like a guy who thinks about a whole bunch of different stuff —

Irving: For sure ... [But] I want to maximize on all those opportunities, to get to know people on this level. On other levels — and to be a bridge. So I can bring people to show what it's like to play at this level, what it's like to be at this level, teach the youth ... what it's like to get to this level, to be a professional. I feel like I was a professional since 8 years old, 9 years old, because I was doing it more than I was going to school. I was doing it more than I was hanging out with my friends, hanging out with my family, I was doing it day and night. ...

It was a passion, but I also chose that. ... Coming into the league at 19 years old, no one gives you that guideline or game plan of what the league is going to require of you, so that's what I'm saying. It's a great partnership with the NBA and I appreciate being a player here. And there are goals that I have outside of the NBA, but as of right now, I'm just focused on this.

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