Dallas Basketball

Mark Cuban Dishes on Kyrie Irving’s Reputation: 'People Love Kai!'

Mavs star Kyrie Irving is not just one of the most talented but also likely the most misunderstood player in the NBA.
Michael Mulford|
Mark Cuban Dishes on Kyrie Irving’s Reputation: 'People Love Kai!'
Mark Cuban Dishes on Kyrie Irving’s Reputation: 'People Love Kai!'

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Dallas Mavericks

There's very few players in the NBA as polarizing and popular as Dallas Mavericks All-Star Kyrie Irving. 

From fellow players in the league, to kids around the world, Irving is near the mountaintop of who they look to replicate their game after, including his handle, finishing ability, and signature shoes.

On Wednesday's episode of The Pat Bev Pod with Rone, Mavs owner Mark Cuban joined the show to discuss all things Mavericks related, including Irving joining Dallas last season and the negative perception surrounding him.

"When you're on the outside looking at somebody like Kai -- I didn't know him at all," Cuban said. "I just read the same stuff and see him bounce from team to team to team, you get some perceptions, right? This is your perception of him. But then I started talking to people before we did the deal -- everybody loved him."

With the scrutiny placed on Irving due to his numerous team destinations over the past few years, off-court views and social media activity, it's easy to fall into that boat of judgment. But, when you look at how players around the league view Irving, he's placed on a pedestal by many. 

"When you talk to people, people love Kai," Cuban said. "And you watch after a game, yeah guys will trade jerseys this and that, people will just walk up and hug Kyrie...and will spend time and talk."

"Now that I've gotten to know Kai a lot better, that's who he is," Cuban said. "Kyrie wants to think about things. Kyrie wants to connect to people and connect to his history and know who he is. He wants to just take it to the next level personally."

People are always quick to judge a book by its cover, but Irving's actions also make it easy to do so sometimes. As Cuban and Irving’s peers continually point out, Irving is as loved and looked up to as any current NBA player.

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Michael Mulford
MICHAEL MULFORD

Michael Mulford is a writer/editor for Dallas Basketball, where he extensively covers the Dallas Mavericks. He also covers the Chicago Bulls as the Managing Editor for Bulls Wire of USA Today Sports Media Group. Mulford grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Event, and Sports Management. He began his pursuit of sports writing in 2017 with Dallas Sports Fanatic, where he covered the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, Texas Legends. He then became the Managing Editor of Dallas Sports Fanatic just one year later and has covered the Mavericks as a credentialed media member since 2018, including covering numerous playoff games between 2021-22 and covering the team at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2019. In his time covering the Mavericks, Mulford has conducted numerous interviews for exclusive stories including with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, former Maverick and current VP of Basketball Ops Michael Finley, former Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, and more. You can follow and interact with Mulford on Twitter at @TheMulf.

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