Kyrie Irving departed the Boston Celtics five years ago, maintaining strong ties to several current members of the organization, including its star tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Now with the Dallas Mavericks, nothing has changed in terms of the bond Irving built with the young All-Stars, which birthed in Boston.
“I’ve embraced all those guys so it’s been the same,” Irving told reporters Monday, per Grant Afseth of MavericksGameDay. “I’ve taken them under my wing in a very different way and they’ve allowed me to do that while also becoming who they are. I told them from day one when I first met them that I want to see them be better than me. And in order to do that, you need to give them secrets of the game. You have to give them mental secrets as well to help become a better player.”
Irving added: “Just being able to extend a brother-to-brother relationship with them, let them know I have their back no matter what.”
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When Irving first joined the Celtics, Tatum and Brown were the unproven newcomers still finding their footing as a rookie and sophomore, respectively. Boston hadn’t established itself as the Eastern Conference powerhouse it is today, and as for Irving, the fancy ball-handling champ struggled to fulfill the leadership role required to guide the Celtics throughout his two seasons spent with the team.
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The potential for multiple championship runs led by Irving went spoiled, leading Boston to a non-competitive semifinal defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2019. All hope in repairing Irving’s relationship with the Celtics, the city of Boston, and saving a now-empty promise to re-sign with the team was lost. It created a minor setback but also allowed for Tatum and Brown to step into the spotlight, grow individually, and become the same leaders they once viewed Irving as years ago as teammates.
In that same light, Irving, too, has grown.
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The now-32-year-old Dallas guard shared a few inappropriate run-ins with Celtics fans. From having bottles thrown his way to flipping a middle finger to the TD Garden crowd, Irving’s owned up and shown his growth following years of struggling to manage off-court issues in Boston.
It’s now brought the two sides together for a winner-take-all clash. Dallas, the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference is seeking its second title while Boston, the long-awaited favorite, hunts a record-setting 18th Larry O’Brien Trophy.
“It’s going to be adversarial on the court. It’s going to be very competitive,” Irving said, “but off the court, we know each other’s families and that’s the type of relationship I’ve always wanted outside of the game of basketball; is to be able to have that balance to compete with people on the court but also treat them like my brothers and be there for them and whatever they need.”
That love has been reciprocated on multiple occasions with Tatum and Brown greeting Irving following the final buzzer for each of their post-Celtics matchups in recent years. Although the Finals will likely put the brotherhood love on a pause — for at least seven games — it’s clear the bond isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
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Featured image via Brad Rempel/USA TODAY Sports Images
