Kyrie Irving isn’t spending much time on the chatter about his 15-year age gap with Cooper Flagg.
After the Mavericks’ first training camp practice, the 34-year-old guard made it clear that the conversation outside the building matters a lot less than what’s happening inside it. Irving leaned on NBA history, pointing to Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as proof that age difference doesn’t have to get in the way when the talent and mindset are right. Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar were 12 years apart and still won five championships together.
“The basketball community somehow forgets that when you have great players on one team,” Irving said after the Mavericks’ first training camp practice. “And you have guys that are selfless and we’ve built some camaraderie off the court, me and Coop, especially young guys coming in. That will be a part of success.”
Irving followed that up with an even more direct message about the speculation surrounding the pairing.
“There is a disparity in age, everyone likes to make a big deal out of it…We’re trying to win. Nobody here is just trying to throw the season away and say we have no expectations. We have high expectations for ourselves.”
He said the connection with Flagg has already taken shape, in part because of a three- to four-day minicamp in Santa Monica, outside Los Angeles, that Irving helped put together a couple of weeks ago. He said he got most of the players there, along with some coaches, including Mavericks coach Dusty May and assistant coach Joe Boylan.
The veteran also said that, despite all the trade rumors floating around the league, he still feels strongly about Dallas.
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