Kyrie Irving has revitalized his career in the NBA after a few contentious seasons with the Brooklyn Nets marred by off-court drama. Irving, who was traded and then re-signed with the Dallas Mavericks, has found new success in Dallas as Luka Doncic‘s co-star.
He opened up on his relationship with Luka to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, about how the pair have incredible respect for each other.
“I think what you saw last year was us having the utmost respect for each other and not trying to step on each other’s toes. He has created a legacy here already, and I’m the new guy coming into Dallas. … There’s a synchronicity that people have felt for the last six years with him and built that camaraderie with him. So I just wanted to add onto that.”
He further spoke about the similarities between both of them in terms of their competitive attitude, which is the genesis of the relationship they are building.
“He’s a winner. I’m a winner. He’s a big gamer. I’m a big gamer. We like going against the best. That’s where I feel like we connect… At this point in his career, in my career, particularly talking about me and Luka, it’s about how we galvanize the rest of the group. We help each other grow as people, and then the basketball part is the easy part.”
Irving then got real about understanding that he’s a mentor for the young guys on the franchise. The Mavericks have eight players on their roster under the age of 25.
“I needed mentors when I was growing up in the league, so I feel like that’s the role I play here, being a very young mentor to Luka [and] to all our guys. Because I’ve seen a lot, I’ve done a lot. I failed at the highest level, I succeeded at the highest level, and I want to get back to that place.”
Irving is averaging 25.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists this season. He could’ve been a contender to make another All-Star game but has had notable injury absences through the first two months of the season, making his case unlikely.
Irving’s comments preceded the Mavericks’ nine-point loss to the league-leading Boston Celtics, where Irving had 23 points in a showing where he and Doncic were comfortably outgunned by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Kyrie Irving Has Found Basketball Happiness Once Again
At the three previous teams Irving was on, he found himself wrapped up in off-court drama that ended with messy exits on all those teams. He left the Cavaliers to be a No. 1 option and rejected LeBron James’ mentorship, he left the Celtics after disconnecting with the front office and locker room, and then he left the Nets after a series of issues in two seasons including sitting out due to mandatory vaccination and the sharing of an anti-Semitic movie on social media.
Irving told MacMahon that he’s been able to focus on just basketball once again in Dallas, knowing that he’s on an organization that will support him off the court as well.
“Dallas gave me a chance to just focus on the main thing, which is being the best basketball player when I stepped foot here, and then off the court still support me.”
Many people still believe that the Mavericks and Irving relationship could turn sour, as all of Irving’s team relationships soured over time. However, he looks content with his role and the place he holds on the team. Given the GM is Nico Harrison, who was the Nike executive that signed Kyrie in 2011, and that the head coach is one of Irving’s idols, Jason Kidd, it seems he has people he can trust within the organization.
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