LOS ANGELES — The only full season Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić spent together as teammates resulted in an NBA Finals run. Last spring, they combined to average close to 60 points per game in the postseason as the Dallas Mavericks advanced out of the Western Conference, despite not having home-court advantage in any series.
Earlier this month, the Mavericks chose to break up their electric backcourt. They traded Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package centered around Anthony Davis. It was bittersweet for Irving because while he considers Davis a close friend, he had formed a genuine bond with Dončić in the two years they were together.
As soon as the final buzzer sounded Tuesday in the Mavericks’ 107-99 loss to the Lakers, Irving and Dončić met near midcourt, did their customary handshake and hugged.
HERMANOS. 🤞❤️@luka7doncic x @KyrieIrving pic.twitter.com/WRV3Xg0IX6
— NBA (@NBA) February 26, 2025
“Awkward as s—,” Irving said when asked what it was like to play against Dončić.
“It was awkward, but it was fun. We felt like we were in practice all over again. Going at each other. And seeing the crowd cheer for him and get him going. And seeing the tough shots I’ve seen him make thousands of times — that’s probably even more awkward.”
Irving scored 35 points. With 3:49 remaining, he got a 3-pointer from straightaway to bounce in, which cut the Lakers’ lead to two points. The Mavericks, who were missing their top three big men — Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford — made the game competitive but couldn’t hang on against the surging Lakers, who have won nine of 11 games.
Dončić filled up the box score (19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists) in his first game against his former team. He didn’t shoot well (6 of 17 from the field, including 1 of 7 on 3s), but he didn’t need to for the Lakers to win. Dončić’s lob pass to LeBron James allowed the Lakers to take an eight-point lead with 32 seconds left, stamping out any hope Dallas had of sneaking out a win on the West Coast.
Dončić embraced several of his former teammates as soon as the game was over. Irving was the first person he engaged.
“Kyrie is my hermano,” Dončić said. “We go way beyond basketball. It was good to see those guys. We went to wars together, and it was really fun to see them all.”
Before each of the two last seasons, the Mavericks played preseason games overseas. In 2023, they faced Real Madrid — the EuroLeague team Dončić starred for — in Spain. Then in October, the Mavericks faced the Minnesota Timberwolves twice in Abu Dhabi. Irving said those trips helped him and Dončić grow closer.
“For me, I think there was respect there before playing together,” Irving said. “But playing with him, he’s just an innocent kid. Ultra talented. Whole world is in front of him. You want to protect people like that too. Because I feel like sometimes people come at him crazy. And he responds in his own way. He’s not from America. He’s not used to the culture here. My goal is to just protect him. That’s why it goes deeper than basketball.”
Dončić, still just 25, looked shellshocked in the days after the Mavericks moved him. Post All-Star break, he has started to look more like his old self. Dončić scored 32 points on Saturday as the Lakers earned an impressive win against the Denver Nuggets. On Tuesday, Dončić recorded what is sure to be the first of many triple-doubles as a Laker.
“I don’t think he expected the change,” Irving said. “I think that’s what leads to him feeling those emotions even more in a deeper way.”
Irving has been traded twice. In 2017, the Cleveland Cavaliers sent him to the Boston Celtics, at Irving’s behest. Two years ago, the Mavericks bought low on Irving after his controversy-filled stint with the Brooklyn Nets.
So far, Irving has been a steadying force for the Mavericks. Irving, who turns 33 in March, is aware he doesn’t have many chances left to add another championship to his resume. He no longer has Dončić by his side to help him in that quest, although the two remain close.
“He’s still a young kid,” Irving said about Dončić. “We come in here at young ages. Some of us are emotionally mature. Some of us are not. Some of us have a good handle on what our responsibilities are when we come into the league. Some of us do not. It requires development in that area as a human being. Basketball is not going to fix it. It’s not going to hide them. And we all have them. I’m just saying that as a protective big brother.”
(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
