Mavericks' Kyrie Irving Not Close to Considering Retirement: 'Sky's the Limit'

Dallas Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving envisions himself playing at a high level for years to come and is not thinking about retiring from the NBA anytime soon.

Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) dribbles the ball against Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) during the fourth quarter during game three of the 2024 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks face the daunting task of overcoming a 3-0 series deficit entering Friday's Game 4 matchup against the Boston Celtics. No team has ever managed to rally from such a hole in a playoff series in league history.

When a team finds itself disadvantaged, the external conversation quickly shifts to big-picture focuses. One of those for the Mavericks is the long-term play of Kyrie Irving, who turned 32 this season. He's averaged 22.6 points, 4.9 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in 20 postseason performances, with some ups and downs along the way. How much longer does he think he'll have to be a high-level impact player?

"Man, I haven't even given that much thought, to be honest with you," Irving responded. "This has been the longest season I've played in awhile. It's been six years. So I'm looking at the big picture in a way that I probably was not ready to look at in my early 20s or late 20s."

Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) dribbles the ball against Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) during the fourth quarter during game three of the 2024 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

With the resources available to players in today's age, Irving is optimistic the way he takes care of his body will maintain a high degree of impact for years to come. However, he understands he'll need to continue to mentally find ways to create advantages as he faces the reality of slowing down physically.

"The way technology is today, the way I take care of my body every day and the way I have the opportunity to learn more about my body as I get into my 30s, I'm appreciating," Irving said. "My mind continues to get sharper. My physical tools are obviously naturally going to deteriorate, which I can appreciate, too.

"So adding new skill sets or adding new nuances to my game where I can be successful at this level, especially going against a more athletic league or a faster league, and you've got me over here speaking like I'm 38 already," Irving continued. "But at 32 right now, I just feel like the sky's the limit.

After a 50-win regular season campaign and reaching the NBA Finals, Irving appreciates the position he's in with the Mavericks to contend going forward. He wants to be contending for championships until he retires and believes Dallas has the outlook to do so.

"I have an opportunity to be on a special team that can be one of the teams that dominate in this era," Irving said. "That's what I've been trying to figure out the past few years, of how to be on a great team, be in an organization where I'm trusted, and also we're able to succeed and fail together, and doing it in a way where we still have each other's backs, and no one is giving up on the dream or the goal.

"Our goal is still to win a championship. That's been No. 1. For me, that's why I play basketball every year is just to be able to continue to get better but also to compete for championships," Irving explained. "If I'm not doing that at 33 or 34 or 35, then we probably can revisit this.

"I feel like we're trending in the right direction, and especially this organization led by Nico and J-Kidd and our new ownership group," Irving concluded. "They have a lot of trust in us, which I appreciate, which makes my decision-making on what my future looks like a lot easier."

Irving is signed for $41 million next season with a near $44 million player option for the 2025-26 season. Both sides may need to evalute the long-term future from a contractual standpoint in the relative near future since he could enter free agency as soon as next summer by declining that option.

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