Before Dillon Brooks became the villain vs. LeBron James’s Lakers, the veteran forward had a moment with James’s former teammate, Kyrie Irving. After a March game between the Grizzlies and Mavericks, Irving appeared to turn down Brooks’s jersey during what an apparent jersey swap.
“I saw that after the game. I'll probably get it next time. Probably next time. Not this time,” Irving said in March. “I was really onto the next thing, thought process-wise.”
At the time, it was unclear whether there was any beef between the two, but Irving clarified that on Saturday. The point guard explained that he just suffered an injury and wanted to get to the locker room as quickly as possible, which is why he didn’t take the jersey.
“I was pissed that I got hurt again during the game, I was pissed at him, and he knew it too,” Irving said on Twitch. “He hurt me again in that game. … Here he is doing Dillon Brooks things. I didn’t take his jersey after the game because I was just so focused on getting to the locker room and just getting my rehab done.”
"I was pissed at [Dillon Brooks]. He knew it too... He hurt me again in that game... I didn’t take his jersey after the game because I was just so focused on getting to the locker room.”
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 12, 2023
—Kyrie Irving
(via @KyrieIrving /Twitch)pic.twitter.com/TJBHKWGh7P
Brooks plays a very physical style of basketball, and Irving has dealt with his share of injuries in recent years, so the interaction between the two is understandable. Irving stressed that there was no ill will between the two sides, and this moment was not a sign of anything deeper between the two.
“I texted him after the game and was like, ‘Bro, that’s just heat of the moment, send me your jersey when you get a chance,’” he said.
With Brooks now with the Rockets, keeping him in the Mavericks’ division, the two players will be scheduled to play each other four times during the season, giving Irving plenty of opportunities to properly execute a jersey swap.
