Watch: Kyrie Irving shows his fun side as he plays with Dereck Lively II's hair during post-practice huddle
Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving displayed his fun side as he playfully teased his teammate Dereck Lively II's hair during the post-practice huddle on Thursday. Lively initially ignored Irving's teasing but turned around once more of his teammates joined in on the fun.
Watch the moment here:
Coming off an NBA Finals run in the previous season, the Dallas Mavericks opened their training camp on Monday with the next season set to begin this month. Irving and Dereck Lively II had a great run last season, both playing influential roles in their team's success.
As a rookie, Lively averaged 7.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 blocks in the playoffs while shooting 67.4% from the field. While he was the secondary center for the team last season, Daniel Gafford being the primary, Lively will reportedly be the starting center for the team for the next season.
Meanwhile, Irving averaged 22.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.0 steals in the playoffs while shooting 46.7% from the field.
The Mavericks' ace Luka Doncic suffered a calf contusion in his left leg just two days in training camp. He will be re-evaluated by the team's medical staff in one week.
Luka Doncic hilariously trolls Dereck Lively II in his latest Instagram post
Luka Doncic also engaged Dereck Lively II with a playful jab on the youngster's Instagram post earlier this week. The youngster uploaded several pictures of him on the platform, including some from the Mavs' ongoing training camp, and coupled it with a caption, featuring an intended grammatical error to make a pun.
"This ain’t no 💩, but im a Klover boy.🍀 " Lively captioned.
However, Doncic saw this as an opportunity to playfully roast his teammate. The Slovenian took to the post's comment section to give Lively a grammar lesson.
Dereck Lively II previously defended his teammate in a comparison question during the Nike EYBL last month. Former NBA player Theo Pinson asked Lively to choose between Luka Doncic and OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Lively thought for a bit and made his opinion clear with a hilarious response referencing their playoff clash last season.
"Who won that matchup?" Lively said.
The Mavericks faced the first-seeded Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals in the 2023-24 season. While they opened with a loss, they bounced back to win the series 4-2 on their way to reach the NBA Finals.