Kyrie Irving is a 'f------ phenomenal person' according to an WNBA star who is 'ready to fight' anyone bullying him

• Kyrie Irving "is made to look like the bad guy" by the media, according to WNBA star Natasha Cloud.
• She is "ready to fight" bullies of Irving, who she called a "f------ phenomenal person."
• The Nets star committed $1.5 million to WNBA players like Cloud who opted out of last season.

Think twice before you mess with Kyrie Irving, one WNBA star warns.

Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud is an unabashed fan of the Brooklyn Nets superstar. And she came to his defense while speaking in the WBB WEEKLY Clubhouse room hosted by Girls Talk Sports TV's Khristina Williams on Wednesday, telling listeners that she thinks "far too often, we make him into a villain."

"Especially in the media, we bully Kyrie for him being different," Cloud said, per Landon Buford. "Him being different is what makes him beautiful. It's what makes him who he is."

Irving has come under fire various times throughout his career for his off-court antics. He was famously roasted on a mass scale after peddling a "Flat Earth" theory in 2016. Towards the end of his tenure with the Boston Celtics, Irving gained notoriety for his tempestuous behavior, which included throwing the game ball into the stands and flipping out at an opponent after he took an unnecessary shot, growing "disengaged and detached" as his team fell apart, and saying he doesn't "owe anyone s---" when he was asked about his free agency plans.

More recently, Irving caught flack at the start of the 2020-2021 season when he refused to talk to reporters, resulting in a $25,000 fine. In December, he burned sage around the court at TD Garden before facing the Boston Celtics, his former team. Then, media and fans alike questioned the mysterious 'personal' absence that kept Irving out for several games early on in the year.

Despite it all, Cloud insisted that Irving is "truly such an authentic person" and that he is simply misunderstood by the general public.

"He's such a f------ phenomenal person," she said. "He has the biggest heart, but also, he has been taken advantage of so often in his career. However, when he stands up for himself, he is made to look like the bad guy. This a genuine guy that is so in tune and touch with his spiritual side."

"Y'all gotta give my man a break," Cloud added.

Cloud admittedly has a special connection with Irving. After opting out of the 2020 WNBA season to protest police brutality, she and other WNBA players learned that the league would not be paying their salaries due to the missed time.

Irving ensured that the players who chose not to report to the "Wubble" in Bradenton, Florida, would not have to worry about the money. He committed $1.5 million to supplement their incomes, regardless of whether they opted out to promote racial and social justice initiatives or simply out of concerns related to COVID-19.

"[Kyrie stepped] up for his queens that decided to sit out because they weren't comfortable going into 'Wubble,'" Cloud said. "Whether it was for health or social justice reasons, he took care of us."

"I celebrate him because he has been nothing but genuine to our league and me," she added. "I can't speak highly enough about Kyrie, but [I'm] ready to fight y'all when you write all of these stories on him. He is just a genuine dude."