Kyrie Irving was not in the mood for a jersey swap after Dillon Brooks injures his foot - "Not this time"
Dallas Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving seemed out of it when Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks approached him to swap jerseys. Given the impact of the loss on the team and the potential injury suffered by Irving, the guard was in no mood for pleasantries.
The Mavericks came off a tough loss against the Grizzlies on Monday night. Their loss with a scoreline of 108-112 loss was shocking considering that they led by as many as 16 points in the third-quarter.
With a loss in the books, the Mavericks found themselves falling to .500 on the season. Considering that this sees them back in the Play-in tournament, the players on the team have every right to be disappointed.
The disappointment itself was quite evident when Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving interacted with Dillon Brooks after the game. Brooks fought Irving to a standstill in the fourth-quarter. Although Irving put up 28 points for the game as a whole, the Grizzlies forward really did a fantastic job of shutting him down in clutch situations.
As a courtesy after the showdown, Brooks attempted to swap jerseys with the Mavs superstar. Irving, who was seen in a walking boot after re-aggravating a foot injury, appeared to be in no mood to exchange pleasantries.
🤣Kyrie didn’t take Dillon Brooks’ jersey during their postgame jersey-swap 😭🤣
https://t.co/KwR7fC052e
Kyrie shed light on the exchange during the postgame presser. As per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Irving said:
"Probably get it next time. Not this time. I was really onto the next thing.”
MacMahon also mentioned that Brooks shared the sentiment and said he'd sign Irving's jersey himself and put it up on his wall.
Kyrie Irving: “Probably get it next time. Not this time. I was really onto the next thing.”
Dillon Brooks said he’d sign Irving’s jersey himself and put it on his wall. twitter.com/clutchpointsap…
Irving and Brooks do share some animosity. The Grizzlies forward has been a particularly loud voice as he had called out Irving and Doncic ahead of their previous meeting as well.
Read: Fans in splits as Dillon Brooks dares Kyrie Irving ahead of their matchup: "Dillon Brooks the new Pat Bev?"
Needless to say, the trash-talk has worked. The Grizzlies have come out on top in the last three games of the season against the Mavericks. With this, they took the season series as well.
In this regard, Irving's comments could imply that a jersey swap is due in the playoffs, which only presents an interesting notion for the future.
Kyrie Irving's walking boot is a precautionary measure
Dallas Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving was seen wearing a walking boot after the loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Although this raised some concerns regarding his availability for the last few games of the regular-season, he mentioned that it was merely a precautionary measure.
This allows fans to breathe a sigh of relief. The Mavericks are already shorthanded in the superstar department with Luka Doncic being sidelined. Although Doncic was seen at shootaround before the game, the Slovenian star may still be in the process of ramping up for a return. The Mavericks will definitely need Doncic back in action soon.
With only 10 games left in the season, Dallas needs every win they can get. Currently occupying the seventh spot with a 36-36 record, the Mavs can still climb their way out of the Play-in tournament.