Despite this being his first season with the Dallas Mavericks, star player Kyrie Irving would probably not have expected to reach this level of success so early on. Thanks to his contribution as the second-highest scorer for the team, the franchise recorded a stellar win record during the regular season, eliminated the Clippers from the playoffs, and will now compete in the Western Conference Semifinals. His performance has undoubtedly allowed him to become a favorite among fans. However, before getting to this stage, Irving had to go through a different kind of journey. A journey to finding out who he truly was.

After the conclusion of the recent Mavericks-Clippers clash, the 32-year-old shooting guard sat down for a Q&A session with media members. During the same, he was asked about his past perception and the love and support he has received from Dallas fans. Irving expressed his thanks for the support, whilst highlighting how he had changed in the past few months. After having asked who he is as a person, the player feels proud to know his identity. From giving himself affirmations to meditating and praying, he described himself as someone who is going through a journey that keeps him grounded and balanced. Sometimes, however, his job appeared as a speed bump on that road.

“I went on a spiritual journey. Basketball was sometimes not the priority, but I was in season” revealed Irving. “Probably things got mixed up emotionally, and I think people prejudged me without knowing who I was and knowing who I am, not really knowing where my family comes from. All that is just part of the process of growing up in this world… It’s not time to blame anybody or hold grudges”. By making it “through the fire and still rise like a Phoenix”, he feels he is setting an example for the next generation on how to best handle things.

Kyrie Irving reportedly became the target of scrutiny after he decided to part ways with LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017. It also didn’t help his situation when the player failed to make a ‘Big 3’ like team with Kevin Durant and James Harden during his tenure with the Phoenix Suns. Things, however, have changed since then. Not only is the player no longer being criticized by the majority of society over his performance, he has become more accepting of those who do.

Jason Kidd believes in the “present” Kyrie Irving and applauds his “worldly” spirit

Having gone through this journey of self-exploration and recovering from the scrutiny-filled past, Kyrie Irving needed someone who would first choose to place faith in him, while others would later follow by example. That person was his new team’s head coach, Jason Kidd. Speaking out in the aftermath of the recent game, the 51-year-old also chose to talk about his player’s newly gained perception. Before getting to that, he emphasized all the criticism the player had to go through in the past.

“We’re all human, we’re all going to make mistakes,” said Kidd. “When you look at Kai, we don’t see that perception of what’s been written in the past. We’re only in the present. And what he’s doing, he’s re-writing his journey and you can see that.”

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The coach highlighted how many people did not believe that pairing Irving with lead scorer Luka Doncic would be beneficial. The positive result, however, lies in front of those same people. Having been aware of the point guard before he joined the Mavericks, Kidd knew the type of person he was. “He knows how to play the game the right way”, Kidd continued. “We all have our own opinions about different things. He’s worldly, which is a beautiful thing too. Most of us aren’t. We’re just stuck in our sport. But he can talk about other things and sometimes that scares people.”

Has your perception of Kyrie Irving changed since he joined the Dallas Mavericks? Let us know in the comments down below.