Kyrie Irving was selected with the first pick of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he wishes the Dallas Mavericks were the team that had picked him back then. During a recent interview, Irving explained how beneficial that would have been for his career.
“Me getting drafted as a young person, needing a lot of mentorship, needing a lot of nurturing, I can look back on it now and reflect and have 20/20 vision on it and say, ‘I could have used this,'” Irving told Rachel Nichols. “In present day, I’m just grateful that I’m here and I’m able to really identify the things that one would need to be successful at the highest level.”
The 31-year-old stated that winning is all he has ever cared about and felt that going to the right organization would have helped him be the best version of himself.
“I knew that if I gave myself a chance to be around people that knew more than me, that were smarter than me in certain instances and I can learn from, then I can be the best version of myself,” Irving continued. “So, being here in Dallas affords that and the long history of players and all that good stuff.”
Kyrie says he wishes he was drafted by the Mavs. "Me getting drafted as a young person, needing a lot of mentorship, needing a lot of nuturing, I can look back and have 20/20 vision and think – I could have used this."
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— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) December 16, 2023
It certainly would have benefited Irving had he ended up on a team like the Mavericks and not the Cavaliers. Dallas had been a title contender for nearly a decade by the time 2011 came around and was one of the more well-run teams, from a basketball standpoint.
They also had veterans like Dirk Nowitzki and current head coach Jason Kidd, which would have greatly helped a youngster like Irving. There was no way for the Mavericks to draft him, though. They had, of course, won the championship in 2011 and had the 26th pick of the draft.
As for the Cavaliers, they too had been a contender for quite a while, but that was largely thanks to one LeBron James. Once James departed in 2010, the Cavaliers fell apart. Unlike the Mavericks, they were not a very well-run team, a fact that became clear following LeBron’s departure.
Kyrie Irving On The Huge Pressure On Him To Replace LeBron James
Not only did Irving not end up in a great situation, but the pressure on him was through the roof. Being the number one pick of the draft alone brings a lot of it, but he was also supposed to be the savior after LeBron had left. Irving spoke about the huge pressure on him to replace James in 2011.
“I was watching the 30 for 30 on The Decision (and) a year later, I was drafted. Into that Cleveland emotional train. The Prodigal Son, the Chosen One has left. And here we have this 19-year-old kid. I’m 6’2. I’m not jumping out of the gym. Emotionally I was dealing with things that had nothing to do with me. So when I took on that pressure as my own, I started feeling like ‘I got to bring Cleveland back to the promised land.’ That’s a solo act.”
Despite all that pressure he put on himself, Irving had a fine rookie season, averaging 18.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and, 0.4 blocks per game. He did eventually realize he didn’t have to put the whole burden on himself and fortunately for him, James returned in 2014.
Together, they led the Cavaliers to the NBA title in 2016 in historic fashion, coming back from down 3-1 to stun the 73-9 Golden State Warriors.
Irving is now hoping that he and Luka Doncic can lead the Mavericks to the promised land. The eight-time All-Star currently finds himself on the sidelines, though, as he recovers from a right heel contusion.
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