Kyrie Irving says ‘narrative’s already written’ ahead of facing Luka Doncic with Lakers

Mavs star Kyrie Irving shared his honest thoughts on facing former teammate Luka Doncic in their upcoming matchup.

Kyrie Irving says ‘narrative’s already written’ ahead of facing Luka Doncic with Lakers

Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic

The Dallas Mavericks’ 2024-25 season remains a rollercoaster. On Sunday, they suffered a crushing 126-102 loss to the Golden State Warriors, deepening their struggles. The team has been in the spotlight since trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, and now, they’re set to face his new squad this Tuesday.

Interestingly, Mavs star Kyrie Irving made his intentions clear on facing his former teammate and dear friend, Luka Doncic, for the first time as an opponent. After his previous impressive performance, Irving anticipates Doncic to enter Tuesday’s clash with “confidence.” Additionally, Irving was questioned about the eagerly awaited match after Sunday’s dud.

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High level basketball game, a lot of good players on the floor at once, Outside of just the obvious of us being in LA, being a former team of Luka’s, obviously the narrative is already written. I don’t know what else I can really add to that. I’m pretty much focused, telling my guys to focus on the high level game that we gotta win.

Kyrie Irving told the reporters

On the other hand, Doncic has been up and raring for the Lakers, after a series of poor performances over the last month. Doncic had his greatest game with his new team to date on Saturday night as he guided the Lakers to a 123-100 victory. This was over the Denver Nuggets. 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and one block were his final stats.

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Given that the entire sports world was taken aback by the Mavericks’ decision to trade Doncic, now, Doncic is starting to settle into his routine. This is while the Mavs and Lakers are still getting used to their new rosters. Kyrie Irving is undoubtedly aware of Luka Doncic’s potential when he is at his peak.

Kyrie Irving opens up on bond with Luka Doncic ahead of matchup as rivals

Only a few months ago the dynamic pair helped Dallas Mavericks reach its first NBA Finals since 2011 (the season before Kyrie Irving was selected with the first overall pick out of Duke). Now, the 32-year-old and Luka Doncic have parted ways. In a recent interview, Irving approached his split with Doncic. This is from a more philosophical standpoint, pointing out that their relationship goes beyond basketball.

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Part of our job every day to deal with the public space, but there were real relationships that were built behind the scenes that will transcend just the basketball court, coaching, and then upper management. I know that for my own peace of mind, just because we not only had two years together, but we got a chance to know each other as men.

Kyrie Irving told ESPN’s Malika Andrews

Irving, no stranger to public scrutiny for his past decisions, appears to hope the backlash against Doncic and Dallas over the trade will fade. Meanwhile, all attention now shifts to the highly anticipated Lakers-Mavs showdown, where fans eagerly await Doncic and Irving’s first clash as opponents since the blockbuster deal.