Kyrie Irving opens up on brotherhood with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown: "I have their back no matter what"
Kyrie Irving is gearing up for an intense battle against his former team, the Boston Celtics, in the 2024 NBA Finals. The Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics will square off in Game 1, which is scheduled for tip-off on June 6.
Ahead of the Finals matchup against his former squad, Kyrie Irving reflected on his tenure with the Boston Celtics. The one-time NBA champion spent two seasons with the Celtics.
Irving spoke fondly about the Boston Celtics franchise, more so about the franchise's two superstars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. He affirmed that he continues to share a brotherhood with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown even after parting ways with the Boston Celtics.
"Just being able to extend a brother-to-brother relationship with them, let them know I have their back no matter what," Kyrie told the media.
"This basketball stuff is going to be competitive. No matter what, we're going to go at each other. But getting to know them as human beings, they're really special people alongside other people that I got a chance to know in the Boston organization," he added.
Irving spent two seasons with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown at Boston Celtics. Irving represented Boston in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons and averaged 24.1 points, 6.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 127 games.
During Irving's tenure with the Boston Celtics, both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were young stars of the league. Irving didn't achieve anything significant alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown during his time in Boston.
During the first playoff run in 2018, Kyrie Irving was injured as the Celtics almost made the NBA Finals without him. In his second season in 2019, the Celtics were eliminated in the second round.
Jayson Tatum lauds ex-teammate Kyrie Irving
Jayson Tatum addressed the media after the team's practice session a couple of days ago. During his press conference, Jayson Tatum reflected on his time with Kyrie Irving.
Tatum affirmed that he still has great memories of playing alongside Kyrie Irving while also highlighting how his ex-teammate helped him find his feet in the league.
"Obviously, there were some ups and downs, but I think for me, being a first and second-year player, being around a superstar every day and seeing how to navigate that space and then obviously, on the court, he's one of the most talented guys I've ever seen," Tatum told the media.
Tatum heads into the NBA Finals against Irving leading the Celtics in points (26.0), rebounds (10.4) and assists (5.9) in the postseason.