Kyrie Irving Reflects on 'Beautiful' Cavs Return, Speaks on Possible Jersey Retirement

Kyrie Irving would cherish having his Cavs jersey retired and looks forward to celebrating on the 2016 NBA Finals run he had an instrumental part in achieving.

CLEVELAND — While the Dallas Mavericks lost 121-119 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on an improbable 59-foot shot from Max Strus at the buzzer, Kyrie Irving cherished the opportunity to play at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in front of fans he spent the first six seasons of his career with, including the franchise's only championship in 2016.

"You don't flush it out of your system. You're human. You feel it. You don't ignore all the emotions that came with tonight," Irving said of Strus' shot. "You see where you can get better, and then you, you make peace with it. I'll be in the gym at St. Regis at 2:30 in the rise and get ready for tomorrow's game.

"So I'm excited for the next 24 hours. Um, you know, but this one's got to sting a little bit. You know, you got to let some of those emotions out," Irving continued. "You have to yell it out when you get to your hotel room or talk to wherever you have to talk to and then you flush it out that way. So there's a process, but as a human being right now, just leave a game like that where we get gamed by Max Drews from the three-quarter court."

"Yeah, I'm feeling it a bit right now," Irving concluded.

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After finishing with 30 points, six rebounds, and three assists in 39 minutes, Irving described it as "beautiful" to be back in front of Cavs fans. He received a warm reception from the crowd not only during the starting lineup introductions, but throughout his performance, including a moment including a tribute video.

"Oh man, it's beautiful. Shout out to all the Cavs fans. I don't want just to say Cavs fans, but all of Ohio. You know, 2016 is forever," Irving said. "I don't think anyone's touching that historical moment, but if someone does, God bless them, but incredible memories here."

While Irving's tenure in Cleveland ended with a trade request that landed him with the Boston Celtics, he cherishes his relationships with the Cavs and the other franchises he's played for in his NBA career. He looks forward to getting together with the 2016 team in the future, reflecting on the history-making achievement they pulled off as a group.

"I don't just want to focus on me being a 19-year-old kid being drafted. I think everyone knows that history. I genuinely cherish all the relationships that I've had in my career. And it started in Cleveland," Irving said. "This NBA championship had a lot of emotions throughout that time, and we accomplished it. One of 76 championship winners. One of those teams that I think we're gonna look back on 10 years from now; we'll all be getting back together, having some wine together, having some beer, and really celebrating our banner."

Hanging up in the rafters at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is the 2016 championship banner that Irving helped guide the Cavs to accomplish. He described looking up to see it as being an emotional experience every time he returns to Cleveland, expressing his gratitude for everything the fans and organization have done for him.

"Every time I come in this building, I look up at that banner, and it just brings me back to all those emotions," Irving said. "I'm just grateful for my time here, and I really want to get that across to the Cavs fans, the Cavs organization. I'm truly grateful that I had the opportunity to grow up here look back on my time and be really happy to be really proud. 

With a young group led by Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and Darius Garland, Irving sees an "emerging crew" and wishes them well. 

"This young core right here is the next emerging crew, and I wish them well," Irving said of the current Cavs. 

The subject of Irving's impact on the Cavs organization naturally leads to a conversation about whether his No. 2 jersey should be retired. He made clear that it would be "very meaningful" to receive such an honor, but he acknowledged he hasn't poured thought into the idea, given he's focused on helping lead the Dallas Mavericks alongside Luka Doncic. 

"Yeah, it would be very meaningful. I haven't given it much thought," Irving said.

Donovan Mitchell shared his opinion on the subject after Tuesday's shootaround, stating Irving should "for sure" get his jersey retired. Irving clarified that it's not fair for Mitchell to answer those questions, but the conversation at large is "warranted." 

"I'm not oblivious to all the social media stuff, the media questions that you guys have for Donovan [Mitchell]. I think that was warranted," Irving said. "I don't want him to answer those questions just because he's new here, too, and he's just trying to establish his legacy, and I give him a lot of credit. The guys who were here, the individuals who were here, know how historic my time was here and how much I impacted the organization and the city of Cleveland."

Irving wants "love" from the Cavs organization and cherishes the memories he has from his tenure with the organization, something he felt even after being traded to the Celtics. Making a trade request is just a part of Irving's overall story with the Cavs, with a history-making achievement being the focus. 

"I've always yearned for that love from Cleveland. It's just wherever I go, even when I was traded to Boston, it's not like I forgot all my memories during that time, and it wasn't anything I had against the fans or the organization," Irving said. "It just was my time to figure out myself. And I look back on that, and I have to deal with the decision that I made to ask for a trade. But that's the only part of this that I believe we'll be talking about a little bit more than I would like, it's just that time." 

"But what I like to focus on is just what we accomplished, and it propelled me into the next phase of my career," Irving continued. "I've only gotten better because of the time that I had here, being mature at a very young age, and Cleveland loved me through my mistakes, so I'm grateful for that."