The Boston Celtics added four players in the 2019 NBA Draft, including at least one first-rounder who is adamant that the Earth is round.
Kyrie Irving, who famously once made the case that the Earth is flat, is expected to leave the Celtics this summer in free agency, which means he may not get the chance to have an in-depth astronomy discussion with Grant Williams, who was selected by Boston with the 22nd overall pick.
Irving originally made the claim in early 2017, when he was still with the Cavaliers, but he was repeatedly asked about his flat Earth stance for months afterward. Later that year, after joining the Celtics, Irving said his original claim was all just a social experiment, and he offered a public apology to science teachers.
In an interview with Stadium’s Shams Charania, Williams opened up on how he’s been influenced by his mother – who has worked at NASA for 25 years. Williams also called out Irving, perhaps not expecting to be joining Irving’s team shortly after this interview was filmed.
Grant Williams: “With my mom, I don’t really think of theories. I kind of know, for sure, what’s what. So it’s kind of nice to have that mindset.
Shams Charania: “What’s the big thing that you can debunk, if there is anything? That you hear a lot, you hear people say a lot, but you’re like ‘that’s scientifically not true.’”
Grant Williams: “Kyrie’s Earth-is-flat theory is scientifically not true. That’s the one thing I can debunk if we’re being pretty honest. That’s just not true at all.”
