Tag: Kyrie Irving

Nets’ Jacque Vaughn, Cam Thomas preview Kyrie Irving’s return to Brooklyn

Kyrie Irving makes his return to Brooklyn on Tuesday. Cam Thomas and Jacque Vaughn of the Brooklyn Nets give their take on his return.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets already saw the return of Kevin Durant to Brooklyn last week when they lost to Durant and the Phoenix Suns in a 136-120 defeat. Now, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving will be the last member of the big three era to make his return to Barclays Center on Tuesday to face Brooklyn. No one knows what will happen.

“I have no idea what to expect in this world anymore,” Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said prior to Tuesday’s showdown when asked about what he thinks Irving’s return will be like. Irving had some tumultuous times during his tenure with the Nets, but Vaughn comes away from that period with a positive mindset.

“What I do know from my time with Kai is a tremendous amount of respect that he and I have for each other,” Vaughn said. Nets guard Cam Thomas spent the first 1.5 seasons of his career as a teammate of Irving and by all accounts, their time together was positive. Thomas will still see Irving as an opponent tonight despite their relationship.

“It’s good to have the competition,” Thomas said. “Those moments I live for, you know, always want to play against guys in my position like that. But, at the end of the day, he’s still my brother. But, I still got to go at him no matter what. So, it’ll definitely be good playing him here.”

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Kyrie Irving wanted to reunite with LeBron James last offseason

After being traded to the Mavericks last year, Kyrie Irving still wanted to team up with LeBron James, but the Lakers didn’t pursue him.

Not too long ago, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving teamed to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA championship in 2016. It was an historic run; they became the first team to overcome a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals.

But what looked like a harmonious and mutually beneficial partnership ended a year later when Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics after he demanded a trade.

Since then, he has bounced around from team to team. After asking out again, this time as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, he was sent to the Dallas Mavericks nearly a year ago.

In the interim, the Los Angeles Lakers tried to acquire him. Even after Irving landed in Texas, he still had the desire to again run with James. In fact, he attended two of the Lakers’ playoff games at Crypto.com Arena last spring (h/t Lakers Daily).

Via ESPN:

“Irving lives in Los Angeles in the offseason, and he had an open calendar after the Dallas Mavericks failed to make the playoffs,” wrote Ramona Shelburne. “But he was also about to become a free agent, and according to sources close to him, Irving had a strong interest in reuniting with James — the man he’d won an NBA championship with as Cavaliers back in 2016 — either in Los Angeles or Dallas.

“Irving was there, sources close to him say, to send that very message.”

Early last offseason, there were whispers that perhaps L.A. was going to make one more run at Irving, an eight-time All-Star. He could’ve given it a legitimate third scorer while taking tons of scoring, ball-handling and playmaking pressure off the aging James.

Instead, Irving re-signed with Dallas. Meanwhile, the Lakers may be a piece or two short of being able to contend.

Did the Lakers make a mistake by not going after Irving with more vigor, especially given their offensive troubles and the fact scoring continues to rise unabated across the NBA?

One executive said they weren’t wrong to be hesitant to pay a steep price for Irving, given his past incidents and flaky reputation.

“I don’t think I blame (the Lakers) for doing what they did,” a Western Conference executive told ESPN. “Kyrie hadn’t proven he could be stable, like he has been this season. (And) LeBron is simultaneously the most life-giving player to an organization but also the ultimate force-multiplier who totally makes you believe you are better than you are because he just makes everything work.”

But one player on another team believes Irving, despite all his flaws and risks, would’ve given L.A. what it needs to make a run at world championship No. 18.

“It’s just too much on Bron right now,” one rival player whose team recently defeated the Lakers told ESPN. “Everyone is just going to pack the paint and try to frustrate him because they need a lot. Speed. Playmaking. Shooting.”

Irving is averaging 25.8 points and 5.4 assists a game while shooting 48.0% from the field and 41.6% from 3-point range this season for the Mavs, who will visit the Lakers on Wednesday.

On this day: Rondo traded for Crowder; most team assists in ’85

On this day, the Celtics traded Rajon Rondo to the Mavericks for Jae Crowder, and Boston logged 46 assists against Dallas, their most ever.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise traded champion point guard Rajon Rondo and center Dwight Powell to the Dallas Mavericks in 2014 in exchange for small forward Jae Crowder, point guard Jameer Nelson, big man Brandan Wright, draft assets, and a $13 million trade exception.

The move finally brought to an end the last remaining player from the team’s 2008 NBA title tenure with the franchise, Rondo having been with the Celtics since the Phoenix Suns drafted him out of Kentucky with the 21st overall pick of the 2006 NBA draft and dealt him to Boston on draft night.

Powell was a more recent arrival, having come over in the deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers for Keith Bogans in September of that year.

A list of Kyrie Irving’s philanthropy over the years

HoopsHype lists all of Kyrie Irving’s philanthropic and charity actions over the years, a long list amounting to a lot of money.

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving often makes headlines for his off-court actions, typically in a less favorable light. With a history of trade requests, controversial remarks, and sitting out games, Irving has not exactly endeared himself to the average NBA fan since his 2016 Finals Game 7 dagger to help bring the Cleveland Cavaliers their first and only title in franchise history.

However, there’s another side to Irving that deserves attention. He has made significant philanthropic contributions throughout his career, supporting a wide range of causes and aiding those in need.

Below, check out a list of Kyrie Irving’s philanthropy and charity donations that we could find reports on.

‘A team to be reckoned with’: Mavs star Kyrie Irving shares thoughts on OKC Thunder

‘A team to be reckoned with’: Mavs star Kyrie Irving shares thoughts on Thunder.

Heading into the first 2023-24 regular-season matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks, multi-time All-Star Kyrie Irving praised Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren.

Sitting in third place of the West with a 12-6 record, the Thunder have quickly put the rest of the league on notice as Jalen Williams and Mark Daigneault recently noted how teams no longer view them as an easy win.

Irving shared a similar sentiment with local reporters when asked about the Thunder.

“They are a good team, they’ve shown it,” Irving said. “Night in and night out. I know their record is what it is, but they are going to be a team to be reckoned with in the Western Conference.

“Just looking forward to seeing him up close. Not only Chet, but SGA and a lot of those guys played in the summertime, the FIBA World games.”

Saturday’s game will prove to be a good test for the Thunder to see how they match up against some of the better teams in the league, The 11-7 Mavericks have been headlined by their two-star duo of Luka Doncic and Irving.

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Reaction: Luka Doncic edges out Alperen Sengun as Mavs knock Rockets from in-season tourney

Alperen Sengun had 31 points and 9 rebounds, but Luka Doncic and the Mavs took over late as Houston was eliminated from the NBA’s in-season tournament.

The Rockets (8-7, 2-2) were eliminated from NBA in-season tournament competition after Tuesday’s 121-115 loss (box score) to the Dallas Mavericks (11-6, 2-2) at American Airlines Center. Houston is now 0-6 in road games in the 2023-24 season to date.

With a 3-1 mark within the group, New Orleans advances to the quarterfinals stage out of Western Conference Group B.

All-Star guard and perennial MVP candidate Luka Doncic led Dallas with a game-high 41 points and 9 assists, shooting 15-of-29 from the field (51.7%). Backcourt mate Kyrie Irving added 27 points and 5 assists, though Houston held him to 8-of-22 shooting (36.4%).

For the Rockets, who led by 9 points late in the third quarter before being outscored 37-27 in the fourth quarter, standouts included:

  • Alperen Sengun: 31 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists; 10-of-19 shooting (52.6%), 11-of-14 on free throws (78.6%)
  • Fred VanVleet: 10 points, 12 assists, 3-of-7 shooting (42.9%)
  • Dillon Brooks: 16 points, 7-of-13 shooting (53.8%), 6 fouls
  • Jabari Smith Jr.: 16 points, 9 rebounds, 7-of-11 shooting (60.0%)
  • Jalen Green: 12 points, 4 assists, 5-of-14 shooting (35.7%)
  • Tari Eason: 11 points, 8 rebounds in 21 minutes; 4-of-7 shooting (57.1%)

The Rockets connected on just 8-of-27 from 3-point range (29.6%) as a team, which wasn’t enough versus a high-octane opponent.

Here’s our look at highlights and postgame interviews following Tuesday’s game in Dallas, along with reaction by media members and fans. Next up for Houston is night two of a road back-to-back on Wednesday in Denver (12-6), where tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. Central.

Did the Celtics get the best-ever version of Kyrie Irving?

Was the Boston Celtics Kyrie Irving the best version of the All-Star guard? Or did the Cleveland Cavaliers get his best years?

Kyrie Irving‘s legacy with the Boston Celtics is shrouded in negativity. The mercurial guard was an undoubted star for the franchise; fans felt like he led them astray when he shared his intention to re-sign with the team ahead of a contract year, only to devise a plan to team up with Kevin Durant on the Brooklyn Nets and bolt for the exit the following summer.

Since leaving Boston, Irving has failed to reach the performance levels he produced in the TD Garden. Injuries, age, and some personal choices have led the All-Star guard to endure a disjointed time with the Nets, while his tenure with the Dallas Mavericks is far from a sure thing.

In a recent video for the “MaxaMillion” YouTube channel, the notion of which team got the best version of Irving was discussed. The Celtics won hands down.

You can watch the video by clicking the embedded link above.

Listen to the “Green With Envy” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3DoLhYK

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Oj4dhD

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3K8MbvY

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Kyrie Irving says playing the Brooklyn Nets was ‘just another game’

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving said that Friday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets was ‘just another game’ after the game was over.

Kyrie Irving had a interesting history with the Brooklyn Nets as he was still one of the best players in the NBA despite going through some controversial times with the franchise. Irving always maintained that he wanted to stay with the Nets, but requested a trade when Brooklyn did not offer him a long-term contract.

After some back-and-forth between Irving and the Nets, Irving was eventually traded to the Dallas Mavericks. On Friday, Irving faced the Nets for the first time he was traded by the franchise in February of last season because of the disputes in the contract negotiations.

Going into Friday’s game, Irving said that requesting a trade from Brooklyn was the “best decision” that he’s made in his career because of all of the things that happened during his time with the Nets. After scoring 17 points in Dallas’ 125-120 win over the Nets, Irving said afterwards that facing Brooklyn was “just another game” according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

For the most part, it seemed that Irving was just playing his normal game aside from some dustups between him and Ben Simmons. Irving struggled shooting the basketball in the contest, but other than that, he seemed to be enjoying the competition for what it was.

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Kyrie Irving on trade request from Brooklyn Nets: ‘best decision of my career’

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving spoke on how his trade request to leave the Brooklyn Nets was ‘the best decision’ of his career.

Kyrie Irving has been one of the most polarizing players in the NBA for a variety of reasons that range from what he does on the court to what he says off the court. When he was a member of the Brooklyn Nets, Irving played like a superstar, but he also had some controversies off the floor.

There were two notable instances in which Irving found himself under fire either for his actions or for his words. For one, Irving’s refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine during the 2021-22 season caused him to miss significant time due to various mandates preventing him from playing on a consistent basis.

For another, in October of last season, Irving tweeted a link to a film containing antisemitic rhetoric, landing him and the Nets into some hot water. Irving eventually made it back to the court before he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in February.

With Irving playing the Nets on Friday for the first time since his trade last season, Brian Lewis of the New York Post was able to speak with Irving about everything that happened in Brooklyn prior to his departure. Here’s some of what Irving said:

“I was never on bad terms with the organization. I just think there was a lot of chaos and noise, as usual, from the media. I’m not going to blame you guys or anything, but nobody really knew what was going on behind the scenes. I’m sure that people have their sources they go to [about] what was going on and what really happened. For me, it was the best decision of my career to ask for a trade. I knew I needed peace of mind.”

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Ranking the top 30 NBA players over 30 years old, with Anthony Davis among the newcomers

A thorough ranking of the 30 best NBA players over 30 years old.

When I put together my first list of the top players over 30 years old, at the start of last season, the rankings were mostly based on what players had already accomplished in their careers. Predictably, the list was led by LeBron James, and players who were in the middle of obvious declines were also ranked a little too high as a result.

This year, I’m weighing those career accomplishments with some personal projection to try to get a more accurate picture of where players might finish the season. I’m also expanding the list from 20 to 30 names, because 30 over 30 has a better ring to it.

With that said, let’s get into it.

Related: Ranking the 23 best NBA players under 23 years old