NEW ORLEANS -- Kyrie Irving admitted science shows the Earth is round, not flat, and seemed to suggest his original commentary and re-affirming of it in a Twitter video Friday was a political statement.

"It would be scientifically impossible, which I'm totally aware of that," Irving said after the East's All-Star practice on Saturday.

"I just feel like the fact that it's even a conversation is hilarious," he said. "That that could actually be news. It's hilarious."

In a podcast hosted by Cavs teammates Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, and Fox Sports Ohio sideline reporter Allie Clifton that dropped Friday, Irving said the world was flat. The tone of the podcast, as one may expect, is almost always colloquial. He was responding to a question from Frye about whether or not he believes in aliens.

But social media went nuts over Irving's flat Earth claim. He was trending Friday on Twitter, and not because he left LeBron James off of his all-time All-Star team. And then he was asked about the flat Earth statements by an ESPN reporter taking video at an All-Star event Friday evening, and Irving reaffirmed the claim.

With reporters waiting him for him at the Superdome Saturday -- where both the East and West All-Stars practiced -- Irving never answered whether he truly believed the world was flat, or if he was joking. And it would be difficult to take away from Irving's comments Saturday that he does in fact think the Earth is flat.

Instead he responded with incredulity that his statement was "news," and responded with questions of "why does it matter?"

"There's just so many real things going on, things that are going on that's changing the shape of our lives," Irving said. "I think sometimes it gets skewed because of who we are in the basketball world. 'Oh man, what does he actually think? I don't like Kyrie Irving because he thinks that the world is flat, or he thinks that the world can't be wrong.'

"I know the science ... The fact that that can be real news and people are actually asking me that. It's a social phenomenon, what do you think about it? Are you going to try and protect your image? No, it doesn't matter."

Spokesmen for NASA in Cleveland and Washington didn't return messages seeking comment. Not that they needed to.

Irving went to Duke University (for a year), and the prestigious school was taking flak Saturday that one of its more recognizable alums -- Irving is a four-time All-Star and hit one of the greatest shots in NBA Finals history -- would believe the world isn't, well, round.

"I mean they forget that I actually had to get in," Irving said.

Irving is outspoken politically on occasion. He and James wore "I Can't Breathe" t-shirts two seasons ago to protest the death of an unarmed New York blackman at the hands of police. He's publicly opposed to the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Irving hasn't gotten the traction for his political stances that James has for things like protests and his public endorsement of Hillary Rodham Clinton for president.

But, boy did he get everyone's attention by saying "flat" and "Earth."

And Draymond Green, Irving's teammate on Team USA and a rival when the Cavs and Golden State Warriors play each other, said he wasn't "shocked one bit" when he saw Irving's original comments.

"If you actually got to know Kyrie he has his opinions on a lot of things and he's the type of guy that he actually does research on different things so when he says something it's not like he's just blowing smoke, he's actually like read up on it and done research and it's his opinion," Green said. "He's one of those guys where he's going to stand by what he believes."

But, Draymond, the Earth is round. There are pictures. Taken by people who have been in space.

"I don't know if the Earth is really flat," Green said. "It may be flat, though. How can you stand on a round edge?"

James, meanwhile, laughed when the question was inevitably posed to him.

"Kyrie is my little brother," James said. "He's my All-Star point guard, superstar point guard, and if he decides he wants to say the Earth is flat then so be it. He's an interesting guy, man. He believes it."

Then James shouted to Irving, who was seated next to him in the interview area at the Superdome, and said "Kyrie, the Earth is flat, right?

Irving responded: "Yeah, that's news."

Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor contributed to this report.