Former Toronto Raptors guard Jose Calderon gave Kyrie Irving his first 'welcome to the league' moment

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Boston Celtics All-Star guard Kyrie Irving and rising star forward Jayson Tatum were featured on Knuckleheads podcast hosted by former NBA players Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles.

Irving is one of the best players in the NBA today, but he'll never forget his "welcome to the league" moment in the very first game of his career.

Richardson: Who was the first person when you got in the league to bust yo a—?

Irving: First game I played against Jose Calderon. Jose Calderon bust my a—. He gave me like 26 (points) and 14 (assists) and he was celebrating like a (explicit). I was sick. I had like six (points) and six (assists) that night.


Irving's memory was a bit spotty, as then-Raptors guard Calderon finished with 15 points and 11 assists. He did, however, get the best of the rookie, who finished with six points and seven assists on a rough 2-for-12 shooting night.

The Raptors defeated the Cavaliers, 104-96, in the first game of the 2011-12 season.

Irving continued to praise Calderon, "I swear to you until this day, and shoutout to my man Jose Calderon, but he knows I will DOG him every time now. It's personal every time now, but it's out of respect!"

Irving and Calderon have played eachother 16 times in their career and Calderon actually has a 9-7 advantage over the superstar guard. But Irving was not lying about taking that matchup personal, as he averages 21.1 points per game and has given the Spanish point guard as much as 32, 37, 45 and 31 in past matchups.

Calderon is a well-respected veteran in his 13th year in the league playing for the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons are set to take on the Raptors on Sunday, as Toronto tries to avoid being swept by their former head coach Dwane Casey.

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Kyle Irving is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News.