Kyrie Irving is gearing up to lead the Dallas Mavericks alongside Luka Dončić and Klay Thompson in a push for the NBA Finals, after falling short to the Boston Celtics last season. Now 32, Irving knows his playing career is nearing its end, but he has a clear stance on whether coaching is in his future.
After a recent Mavs practice, Irving revealed a surprising reason why coaching at the NBA level isn’t in the cards for him. “Yeah, I don’t know if I’m going to coach at this level, man,” Irving said. “I’m more of like, consultant type.”
“I like to make my own hours,” he added. “If you know my personality, I’m not trying to be forced to do anything, man. You’re telling me I got to show up at 9 AM, I’m like… maybe 9:08 or something like that.”
Irving also gave insight into his plans for life after basketball. “Once I’m done I’ll definitely have one of the best academies of all-time. You know, skills training, mental, spiritual, emotional,” Irving stated. “And just bring in a lot of the experts, not only in the game of basketball but in different fields.”
Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks dribbles during the fourth quarter of Game Five of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. Elsa/Getty Images
He elaborated, “Just bringing a lot of youth together, lot of the young old-heads, old-heads bringing them back, making sure I’m paying homage to the legends. After basketball is going to be so much fun, but right now I’m enjoying this just as much.”
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In an interview with Marc Stein of DLLS Mavs, head coach Jason Kidd expressed his belief that Irving is ready to elevate his game this season. “[Kyrie Irving] has really loved being in Dallas,” Kidd said. “He loves the situation. He respects [general manager Nico Harrison] and myself.”
“He wants to win, and I think you saw that in the numbers he put up,” Kidd continued. “You can see that in training camp. He’s doing all the reps [and] doesn’t want to sit out. I think you’re going to see an even better Kyrie this season.”
Last season, Irving was instrumental for the Mavericks in both the regular season and playoffs, but fans are eager to see him take it up a notch after the tough Finals loss to Boston.
