SUMMARY
- Kyrie Irving claims shifting the Dallas has been a positive change for him and his family.
- Irving has been a great role model and leadership for the Mavericks according to Luka Doncic.
Kyrie Irving is arguably having one of his best runs in the NBA this year. Each player wants to succeed and live the life of a superstar, but not everybody gets to reach that level. Fortunately for the 32-year-old, his skillset and dedication to his craft have brought him to a point where he can be revered as one of the greatest ever to do it. Kyrie took 12 years to get to this point in his career, playing for three teams that didn’t allow him to flourish as much as the Dallas Mavericks.
Before and after being traded to the Mavericks midway through the 2022-23 season, nobody believed Irving would be able to have a successful run alongside Luka Doncic. But now that they’ve reached the Western Conference Finals, the chemistry that they’ve is very rare to find. “I feel like it’s a great chapter that’s being written,” said Irving following the Mavericks’ Game 3 win.
“We talked about this earlier in the season just how much I felt embraced. But I think it’s going a little deeper than that. It’s really helped me grow as a human being,” he added. Based on the run they’ve had, achieving a 50-32 record this year, the Mavericks duo is now being considered as one of the greatest backcourt pairing in NBA history.
Kyrie Irving speaks on life as Western Conference player
Having spent the majority of his career in the Eastern Conference, Kyrie Irving believes that the atmosphere in the West is completely different and more uplifting in a way. “I spent 12 years in the Eastern Conference, in three cold cities that deal with four seasons. So you come out here and ground yourself a little bit more and spend more time with your family, watch your kids run out outside and wife’s happy. You know what they say about a happy wife, happy life,” he said.
Kyrie Irving is the last off the court at halftime, making sure he’s giving high fives and encouragements to every single teammate.
Leader. pic.twitter.com/uJgCnj7Fxl
— Abby Jones (@_abigaiiiil) May 27, 2024
Irving has been in a relationship with Marlene Wilkerson for a while now. However, they haven’t officially confirmed if they’ve gotten married to each other. They have had two children together while Irving fathers a daughter from a previous relationship with Andrea Wilson. “I don’t take those things for granted… I’ve just been able to grow and understand that all these things don’t happen without a lot of work that goes unseen,” he added.
“Just doing the inner work, doing the spiritual work, and enjoying the game. And putting that into perspective as well, you know, feels good,” he concluded. Irving is known for being a family-oriented individual and he also loves to dive deep into his spiritual life as well. That’s a part of his personality and it largely influences his character on the floor.
Luka Doncic finds great value in having Kyrie Irving’s championship experience guiding him
Kyrie Irving has been playing alongside someone who will potentially finish his career as one of the greatest of all time, Luka Doncic. Having said that, Irving’s experience and championship knowledge bring a lot to the table, especially now that the Mavericks are about to be in the NBA Finals for the first time in 13 years. Doncic spoke about the lessons he’s learned from Kyrie over the last year of playing together and in the playoffs.
He said, “[I’ve learned] a lot. Just right now, when we’re winning by nine on the last possession, I told him, ‘I’m tired as sh*t.’ He told me, ‘That’s the way it’s supposed to be.’ And he brought that calmness to our team. To me, the maturity. It’s been unbelievable to have him.” Luka claims he never stops learning from Irving and the veteran brings a sense of positivity to the floor as well.