"It's good to see you guys": Kyrie Irving begins media interaction with signature mischief after notorious love-hate history with reporters
Dallas Mavericks star point guard Kyrie Irving has had a well-documented checkered history with reporters over his first 12 NBA seasons. This includes him calling the media pawns and refusing to speak to them ahead of the 2020-21 season. However, ahead of his 13th year, it appears that Irving is taking a more open-minded approach regarding dealing with the media.
On Thursday, Irving spoke to the media for the first time since the end of last season. To open his press conference, Irving greeted reporters with a smile and told them that he was happy to see them. However, he then added a touch of his signature mischief by somewhat jokingly specifying that he was only happy to see some of them:
“Good to see you guys again, most of you guys.”
Irving then joked that he was just being honest before greeting the reporters a second time:
“Just honest. I won’t go point by point, but nah, I’m joking, it’s good to see you guys".
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Kyrie Irving says re-signing with Dallas was an easy decision
During his media availability session on Thursday, Kyrie Irving also spoke about his decision to re-sign with Dallas this offseason. Irving signed a three-year, $126 million contract with the Mavs that includes a 2025-26 player option as well as $6 million in incentives.
There had previously been some speculation that Irving could leave Dallas after the Mavs experienced a turbulent 2022-23 season, finishing with a 38-44 record and 11th in the Western Conference. However, according to the star point guard, re-signing with the Mavs was still his top priority:
“It wasn't too difficult of a process. Had Dallas as No. 1 on my list.”
Irving said that he did consider other teams as well, but none of them had the cap space to give him the kind of offer that he was looking for:
“Obviously, I looked elsewhere — salary cap opportunities, where I could fit in with other guys around the league — but there just wasn't much space".
Irving then added that he knew that he would be very comfortable returning to Dallas:
“And me being 31 now, I had to have a different vantage point, and I felt like I could not just settle here but be happy to come back here and be welcomed back with a warm embrace".
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Given Irving’s rocky stints with his previous teams, his recent comments are likely music to the ears of Dallas Mavericks fans hoping for a bounceback 2023-24 season.
Watch: Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic tease Mavericks fans with their chemistry ahead of 2023-24