WHEN KYRIE IRVING FINALLY STEPPED IN FOR KEHLANI DURING CHEATING RUMORS: "I HAVE TO SPEAK ON THIS BECAUSE I OWE IT TO YOU"

 Kyrie made a statement to address this issue.

© Erik Williams, Ron Elkman-Imagn Images

Back in 2018, Kyrie Irving decided he had seen enough of the bashing that his ex-girlfriend Kehlani had been receiving from the public. Even though he was no longer romantically in a relationship with the R&B singer, Irving still cared for Kehlani’s peace of mind.

The NBA superstar took to social media to shatter a long-standing narrative and defend Kehlani against trolls. Kyrie firmly denied the rumors claiming Kehlani cheated on him during their brief high-profile romance back in 2016.

The allegations stemmed from a controversial photo posted by Kehlani’s ex-boyfriend and rapper PARTYNEXTDOOR on social media in which he was in bed with her.

Irving already addressed the issue and stated that he and Kehlani wasn’t together when that picture came out.

“I have to speak on this simply because I owe it to you and you deserve the world to see you for you and how beautiful you are inside and out and not for the attachment to an emotional moment in time where we both had to grow up and learn about our hearts and our souls in a world that judges and adds on fictitious pressure,” Irving shared to Instagram alongside a photo of himself and Kehlani.

The constant bashing eventually affected Kehlani mentally. She even attempted suicide which made Irving even more concerned about her welfare. This gave the All-Star point guard all the more reasons to urge people to leave Kehlani alone.

“I do not want anymore negative energy towards her in any way. She did not cheat or intentionally hurt me, she actually did something extremely noble & respectful, but the fact that it’s still a lingering narrative is really outdated at this point.”

“When it starts affecting real-life progress, the shit has to stop,” he continued. 

Kyrie used his influence to save Kehlani

Irving and Kehlani were a couple for only roughly two months. Yet, a lot of people seemed not to be over with them, especially with Kehlani.

Even though he wasn’t on the receiving end of those hurtful things people had said, Irving took the initiative to use his platform to encourage his supporters and fellow men to respect Kehlani regardless of what they heard.

“I’m hearing about what people are doing to try and intentionally hurt her on my behalf is bullshit,” Kyrie continued. “The lack of understanding of what we went through has bred a lot of unwarranted things happening and I want my supporters to really let her be the great soul I know she is whole heartedly.”

“I am responsible as a leader to guide the young males who follow me in a positive way,” he pointed out.

Moved by his ex-boyfriend’s gesture, Kehlani responded to Irving’s message with genuine admiration.

“The dopest part about this was the acknowledgment of his responsibility of leading young men that love him & go hard for him, that he has a responsibility to put his foot down where he see fit,” she said at the time.

Kyrie and Kehlani have moved on

As it stands, both Kyrie and Kehlani have completely moved on from their past. More importantly, they seem to be happy with their respective present partners.

Kehlani is currently in a relationship with UK-based R&B artist KWN. They officially made their relationship public in October 2025, shortly after they collaborated on the song “Worst Behavior.”

On the other hand, Irving is already married to social media influencer and entrepreneur Marlene Wilkerson. They started to be linked to each other in 2018 and reportedly got engaged in 2019. They now have two children.

-  John Jefferson Tan