Scolded, purified, matured: Kyrie Irving rose like a phoenix from the ashes in Dallas. After years full of controversy and never-ending drama, the island talent has found a sporting home in Texas. Now he wants to win the title with the Mavericks.
It’s every NBA defender’s nightmare: alone on an island, against Kyrie Irving with the ball in his hands. The best dribbler of all time had isolated PJ Tucker on the wing and was slowly getting to grips with the LA Clippers’ aging machine. Twice through his legs, left, right, stop, go, then another double crossover, behind the semicircle into the right corner, where he sank the three-pointer despite the foul. Irving went to the floor, where he was mobbed and celebrated wildly by the entire Mavs bench.
20,625 fans in the American Airlines Center were upside down. It was the final nail in the Clippers coffin. And the big exclamation point behind a brilliant game six, which became a big “Kai” show: 30 points, five three-pointers, countless highlight plays, one big shot after the other. The Mavericks won 114-101 and closed the sack in their first-round series against Los Angeles. With a 4-2 win, Dallas moved into the second round of the playoffs – only for the second time since Dirk Nowitzki won the title in 2011.
“He has the Mamba mentality”
While an ailing Luka Doncic stumbled, Irving delivered night after night and was the series MVP. 30 points or more three times in six games. A 40 point game. Averaged 27 points, six rebounds and five assists per game. In addition, he continued to be undefeated in “elimination games” in his career – which is exactly what the Mavs signed him for a little over a year ago. “It was unbelievable, it was like a video game,” PJ Washington explained afterwards. “He has the Mamba mentality. Just something special. I’m glad he’s on my team.”
Last night, a completely different, no less decisive Irving, in the 119:110 away win in Oklahoma City in game two of the conference semifinals. Although the Mavs guard only scored nine points, he shone with eleven assists, two steals, two blocks and, at times, outstanding defensive work, in addition to his usual playmaking and leadership qualities. “He can do everything on the court,” says his backcourt partner, Luka Doncic. “And his defense has been great throughout the playoffs. He’s been incredible for us on both ends of the floor. He helps everyone. It’s awesome to have him on our team and learn so much from him.”
Legendary title win in Cleveland
The Australian native stormed into the league in 2011 as the number one pick and rookie of the year and quickly established himself as one of the most spectacular players in the world. His ball handling is legendary, as is his ability to shoot with high percentages, even among giants, despite being only 1.88 meters tall. The “Ankletaker,” as Irving is known for his brutal dribbling skills, was named All-Star Game MVP in 2014 – just a few months before LeBron James returned to Cleveland.
Together, the newly formed “Big Three” (James, Irving, Kevin Love) led the Cavaliers back to the top of the Eastern Conference and into the NBA Finals three times in a row. In 2015, Irving scored a then-franchise record (57 points), then later scored 30 points in his first-ever playoff game. At the start of the NBA Finals against Golden State, he broke his knee, and Cleveland lost in six games.
The following year, Cleveland roared to number one in the East and through the playoffs with 12-2 victories, with Golden State once again waiting in the finals. The Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the final and secured the first title win by a professional team in Cleveland in more than 50 years. Irving and James took over with 41 points each in game five. In the all-important Game Seven, Irving hit the decisive three-pointer to win.
“The earth is flat”, Covid and other nonsense
Just a year after the sensational title and the most important goal in the club’s history, an unparalleled public downturn began for him. In a podcast with two of his teammates in 2017, Irving came out as a “Flat Earther” – and thus as the league’s biggest conspiracy theorist. At a media panel during All-Star Weekend, he reiterated his views, citing “the distorted and mendacious education system that seeks to mislead people.” A few months later, Irving turned around and said he was “just kidding” but that he “didn’t know for sure” whether the Earth was actually round. A year later, he publicly and unequivocally apologized for his “ignorant statements,” but the damage was done.
His reputation was ruined, especially since he had also demanded a trade from Cleveland in the meantime – so that he would no longer have to play alongside LeBron James. Cavs fans burned his jersey and Irving was sent to the Boston Celtics. He immediately promised his new team: “I’m happy here and at some point I want to have my name mentioned among all the Celtics legends. This is perfect.” Despite a good start, the Celtics disappointed two years in a row. Irving’s eyes moved further, to Brooklyn, where he signed a new four-year deal in 2019 to create a new superteam with his good friends Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan, which would later also be joined by James Harden.
Viruses released to control humanity
In Boston he became a pariah overnight and has been booed mercilessly ever since. In 2021, a fan was arrested and banned from TD Garden for life for throwing a bottle at Irving. Irving made no secret of his antipathy toward the Massachusetts city that is often described as racist, blatantly giving the middle finger to abusive fans during the 2022 playoffs.
It didn’t help that he made one mistake after another in Brooklyn. In 2021 he missed half the season because he did not want to be vaccinated against Covid. Unfortunately, there was a vaccination requirement in New York City, so the Nets could only use Irving in away games before the regulations were relaxed. In September 2022, he shared a 20-year-old video on Instagram by right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones about secret societies and corrupt empires and about releasing viruses to control humanity. Critics like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar strongly condemned the post.
Scolded, purified, matured – reparations in Dallas
Just a few weeks later, Irving shocked again when he promoted an anti-Semitic film (“From Hebrews to Negroes – Wake Up Black America”) via Twitter that denies the Holocaust, describes Jews as “devilish” and quotes Adolf Hitler, among other things. Initially non-conformist, Irving deleted the tweet three days later, but stuck with cryptic messages and referenced the persecution and oppression of African Americans throughout history. No apology was forthcoming for days, and the Nets suspended Irving indefinitely while the film climbed to the top of the Amazon seller charts. His official apology came after just under a week – far too late to mend the broken relationship between him and the Nets. Nike canceled the shoe deal with Irving and canceled the release of the “Kyrie 8” overnight. Because the club refused to offer him a contract extension, Irving demanded a trade; Brooklyn ultimately reached an agreement with the Mavericks in February 2023.
In Dallas, alongside two old companions, something extraordinary happened: Irving matured into a responsible leader. Head coach Jason Kidd and Nico Harrison, president and general manager of the club, have known Irving for a long time and were the main reasons why the deal for the talented all-rounder came about in the first place. Alongside megastar Luka Doncic, Irving plays his ideal role as co-creator, whose effectiveness and efficiency is only surpassed by his flashes of genius. His speed, his experience and his calmness despite his chaos-causing nature make him a devastating second option, a deadly variable in crucial phases of the game. Thanks to “Uncle Drew,” the Mavs offense performs at an absolute top level both with and without Doncic.
Activism, altruism, wisdom
After years of controversy and never-ending drama, Irving seems to have found more than just a sporting home. The family man has ensured inner peace and has become one of the absolute crowd favorites in Dallas. His activism, altruism and wisdom are now more of a focus than the smug, ignorant manner that characterized him for years. Kindness and community instead of dismissive belligerence and ego – the enigmatic youngster seems to have grown up. In terms of sport, the NBA champion, eight-time All-Star and two-time gold medalist (2014 World Cup, 2016 Olympics) is beyond any doubt. Can he lead the revamped Mavericks to their biggest success since 2011? It would be the spectacular culmination of an unprecedented rehabilitation of his public perception.
“Today I am much more responsible with everything I say and do every day,” says the 32-year-old. “As a young person I didn’t think much about any of these things, I didn’t really know who I was as a person. I had to figure that out first. What you see today is a version of myself that I’m proud of . I meditate and pray and am much more consistent with my daily practices, which ground me and remind me of where I come from and who I am, and all the things that got lost in the daily business of basketball. I think people judged me too quickly without really knowing me. That’s not meant to be a criticism because it’s all part of growing up in this world and in life. I want to show the next generation that it’s possible to live through fire and yet rise again like a phoenix from the ashes.”