Kyrie Irving on Being with Dallas Mavs: 'Grateful I'm Here'

In his first full season as a member of the Mavericks, Kyrie Irving is happy to be here and plant roots in Dallas.
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Dallas Mavericks' Kyrie Irving is one of the more multiplex superstars that we have in both the NBA and professional sports all together. 

On this week's episode of 'Headliners with Rachel Nichols', she spoke with both Irving and Luka Doncic on their journeys and and on the Mavs' team this season. For Irving, he reflected on being drafted in 2011 and how he 'could have used' an environment and culture that the Mavericks have. 

"I just think in my heart in 2011, me getting drafted as a young person," Irving said, "needing a lot of mentorship, needing a lot of nurturing, I can look back and have 20/20 vision and think - I could have used this."

This isn't the first time the Irving has spoke on wishing he was drafted by Dallas, as the feeling of community, transparency, and the sense of being able to express himself is something Irving hasn't felt in every stop in his career.

Mavs' Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving share an embrace against the Utah Jazz.
Mavs' Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving share an embrace against the Utah Jazz / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

"In present day, I'm just grateful that I'm here," Irving said. "I'm able to identify the things that one would need to be successful at the highest level. All I care about is winning. It's all I've cared about since I came into the league." 

The Mavs have surrounded Irving and Doncic with people in the organization who can relate to them and speak their language, such as head coach Jason Kidd, assistant coach Jared Dudley, president of basketball operations/GM Nico Harrison, VP of basketball operations Michael Finley, and of course, it doesn't hurt having alternate governor Mark Cuban around, as well.

"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 that I can learn from, then I can be the best version of myself," Irving said. "Being here in Dallas affords that."



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Michael Mulford
MICHAEL MULFORD

Michael Mulford is a writer/editor for Dallas Basketball, where he extensively covers the Dallas Mavericks. He also covers the Chicago Bulls as the Managing Editor for Bulls Wire of USA Today Sports Media Group. Mulford grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Event, and Sports Management. He began his pursuit of sports writing in 2017 with Dallas Sports Fanatic, where he covered the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, Texas Legends. He then became the Managing Editor of Dallas Sports Fanatic just one year later and has covered the Mavericks as a credentialed media member since 2018, including covering numerous playoff games between 2021-22 and covering the team at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2019. In his time covering the Mavericks, Mulford has conducted numerous interviews for exclusive stories including with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, former Maverick and current VP of Basketball Ops Michael Finley, former Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, and more. You can follow and interact with Mulford on Twitter at @TheMulf.