Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic’s on-court chemistry didn’t click immediately, but the two have now formed a strong partnership that extends off the court as well.
That’s not to say they don’t drive each other crazy from time to time.
“Does he ever annoy me? Yeah, people can get annoying,” Irving said of Doncic after Dallas’ 118-99 loss to the Nuggets. “He’s not the only one that annoys me. I annoy him too. But yeah, we’ve just spent a lot of time off the court just enjoying each other’s presence and our families are getting to know each other.
“As soon as the drinks started, we’d get on each other’s nerves and start telling jokes and he started bringing up how he beat me when I was in Brooklyn – all the extra memories and stuff like that. Annoying is part of friendship, part of brotherhood. Part of it, so I’m not angry.
He was also asked if he had to put a number on how much Doncic is worth.
“No matter what the supermax salary is,” Irving said.
Unfortunately for the Mavericks stars, they will only play 20 games together in the 2024-25 season due to varying degrees of injuries on both sides.
Irving is back from a bulging disc injury after missing five games against the Nuggets, but Luka remains out with a calf injury.
However, there is good news.
Doncic is reportedly expected to return before the All-Star break, a theory TNT sideline reporter Jared Greenberg broke on the air during the Mavericks’ game against the Nuggets.
After a tough loss to Denver in which no Dallas player scored more than 15 points, it was clear the Mavericks needed Luka back to play alongside Kyrie as soon as possible.
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