Two interesting things jumped out about the NBA in the last week, and they’re pretty diametrically opposed news items. One of the league’s best players who allegedly attended Duke University claimed the earth was flat, and the league’s best coach continues to slam the President of the United States.

Oh, and the NBA joined the NFL in condemning the bigoted politics in the state of Texas.

Generally, pro basketball in North America has been unwatchable for two decades now, and we won’t get into why, but the words “fixed” and “officiating” come to mind. Throw in a generation of gun-toting, ball-hogging players, and the sport has become the emblem of the worst aspects of the modern-athletic commercialization.

But when Kyrie Irving claims an idea that was debunked by science several hundred years ago is in actuality “fact”, you have to wonder what goes on in the brains of these players today.

Thankfully, Gregg Popovich is there for the sanity and integrity of the league, as is Adam Silver. If Major League Baseball was savvy enough to precede the desegregation of the nation with Jackie Robinson, Popovich and Silver can lead the NBA forward into the future with the same kind of progressive focus.

Let Irving act like a Trump voter with his “alternative fact”, as a continuing sign that some pro athletes really should have opened a book in college (or high school, even), but the inevitable flow of progress can’t be stopped … in sports or in society.