By james art One of the most surprising moves of 2024-25 NBA the season was Klay Thompsontransfer from Golden State Warriors to Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks welcomed the four-time champion and now his new teammate, Kyrie Irving, made something clear about Thompson’s inclusion on the team.
After spending more than 14 years with the Warriors, Thompson sought new challengesleaving his comfort zone in the Bay Area to join a Dallas team looking to improve on last season’s performance. After a preseason with Thompson, Irving was asked what it was like to have him on the roster. Irving did not hesitate to praise.
“What type is Clay? When you get to know him, he is an ordinary human being. He just stays alone, he loves his family, he loves what he does for a living, he loves helping people, he loves to travel… All in all, he’s a good guy,” Irving told the press after Sunday’s Mavs practice.
Joining a new team as a four-time NBA champion earned Thompson great respect within the team. However, as Irving noted, Thompson remains humble and dedicatedwhether playing or supporting the team from the bench. “It is a luxury and we do not take credit for having such type of men and that type of personality in the locker room”, Kyrie concluded his statement.
Kris Dunn 8 of the Los Angeles Clippers defends against Klay Thompson 31 of the Dallas Mavericks during their preseason game on Monday, October 14, 2024 at Intuit Dome Arena in Inglewood, California.
Irving’s decision on the NBA coaching role
At 32, Kyrie is in the twilight of his playing career and questions inevitably arise about his future. After retiring, will Kyrie Irving coach in the NBA? The Mavs player decided to lower expectations ahead of his career decision.
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“I don’t know if I’m going to train at this level, man. I’m more like a consultant. I like to set my own hours. If you’re telling me I have to show up at 9 in the morning, I’m like, ‘Maybe around 9:08 or somethingIrving joked. He then offered a more serious response, hinting at his plans to create a “one of the best academies ever.”
“Once I’m done, I’ll definitely have one of the best academies of all time. Training skills, mental, spiritual, emotional and simple bring out many of the expertsnot only in the game of basketball, but in different areas. Gather many young together,” the Mavs player said.
Although he envisions continuing to play basketball, Irving emphasized that his current focus remains enjoying every moment he left the court: “After basketball it will be a lot of fun, but right now I’m enjoying that too (as far as possible).”