Mark Cuban Feels Newly Signed Kyrie Irving is 'Misunderstood’

Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban Feels Newly Signed Kyrie Irving is ‘Misunderstood’

Although considered one of the best point guards in the NBA, Dallas Mavericks player, Kyrie Irving has had a tumultuous relationship with every team he has played on thus far. After signing a free agent contract recently with the team, the Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban has come out to the defense of the controversial player and has stated that Irving is “misunderstood.”

According to The Dallas Morning, Cuban was interviewed recently on SiriusXM NBA radio by Frank Isola and Justin Termine and he discussed the reason Irving was given a contract and also expressed why the New Jersey native loves basketball.

After being asked if he was concerned that Irving wouldn’t stay on the team after the season, he said, “Kyrie just loves basketball and loves going to games, so no, I wasn’t concerned about that. But we traded for him because we wanted him to be a long-term piece, you know? And I think Kyrie’s just misunderstood. Everybody sees all the noise and everything around him, but when you actually talk to him, I like him.”

He was then questioned that with Irving’s previous actions before leaving each team he has been on thus far would he anticipate the same thing with the Mavericks.

“You know, it’s interesting because when I would watch Kyrie before he came to the Mavs, I didn’t pay enough attention to his relationship with other players. And then when he came to us after the trade, it was inevitable. After every game, there were multiple players walking up and hugging him. Not just giving him, you know, high fives, but like a real, honest-to-goodness, ‘I like you,’ hug. And when you talk to players around them, they would say the same thing. And when you talk to our players after he got there, say the same thing, we love the guy. You know? And so it wasn’t a question of his relationship with players. And then when you get into it more, you know, as he matured, he’s had different relationships with different organizations, which is why, you know, (Jason) Kidd and I made the effort to really get to know him.”

“We traded for [Kyrie] because we wanted him to be a long-term piece”@mcuban tells @TheFrankIsola and @TermineRadio why the plan all along was to keep Kyrie with the @dallasmavs #MFFL pic.twitter.com/uzSqkRGkVe
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 11, 2023

After being traded by the Brooklyn Nets during the season, Irving ended up in Dallas and becoming a free agent when the season ended, he re-upped with the Mavericks for $126 million for the next three years.

Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban Feels Newly Signed Kyrie Irving is ‘Misunderstood’