- Dillon Brooks attempted to swap jerseys with Kyrie Irving after a game in March earlier this year
- Irving handed over his jersey but refused to take Brooks’ and walked away
- Irving revealed Brooks had injured him and he was just focused on getting back to the locker room to rehab
The 2022-23 season is not going to be one that Dillon Brooks looks back upon too fondly. Brooks had egg on his face after his trash-talking backfired against the Los Angeles Lakers, and there was one more embarrassing moment for the 27-year-old when he tried to swap jerseys with Kyrie Irving after a game on the 20th of March.
The Dallas Mavericks star handed over his jersey to Brooks, but Irving declined to take Brooks’ jersey during the swap, and that moment went viral. Kyrie recently spoke on the topic and explained why he didn’t take Brooks’ jersey.
“Dillon Brooks, man. Me and him had a whole viral moment this year where after the game, I was p***ed that I got hurt again during the game,” Irving said. “I was p***ed. Not necessarily just p***ed, I was p***ed at him, and he knew it too, ’cause he hurt me. He didn’t do it on purpose, or I don’t know if he did it on purpose, but he hurt me again in that game.
“I had like 28 going into the fourth quarter at Memphis,” Irving continued. “We were supposed to win that game, we needed that game to go into the playoffs and here he is just doing Dillon Brooks things. I didn’t take his jersey after the game because I was just so focused on getting to the locker and just getting my rehab done and my recovery.
“Some people thought I played the s*** outta him,” Irving added. “I wasn’t trying to play the s*** outta him. I texted him after the game like, ‘Bro, it’s just heat of the moment. Send me your jersey when you get a chance.'”
Kyrie talks about the viral moment of him not taking Dillon Brooks’ jersey after the game 👀 pic.twitter.com/FD55Qp4Yf9
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) August 11, 2023
During the game, Brooks had stepped on Irving’s foot and the Mavs star had to put on a walking boot afterward as a precaution. He was on an absolute tear before that incident, with 28 points in the first three quarters. Irving was clearly bothered by the foot in the fourth quarter, though, as he went 0-8 from the field.
With their star hobbled, the Mavs were outscored 29-12 in the fourth and the Memphis Grizzlies won the game 112-108. Irving was asked about not taking Brooks’ jersey after the game too, with his explanation at the time being that he was thinking about what’s next.
Kyrie Irving Wants To Win Another Championship
The game against the Grizzlies was just another low point in what was a disastrous end to the 2022-23 season for the Mavericks. They would end up failing to even make it to the play-in tournament, something that seemed unimaginable for a team that has Irving and Luka Doncic.
The 31-year-old Irving still played well though, with averages of 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. The eight-time All-Star is desperate for things to turn around in Dallas, as he wants to win. When a fan recently praised him on Twitter, Irving stated he didn’t want validation. He just wants to win another title.
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