Exclusive: Mavericks’ Jason Kidd Confident Kyrie Irving Will Surpass 20,000 Points — “He’s Only 2,000 Away”
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving became the 81st player in NBA history to surpass 18,000 career points during the team’s 115-114 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier this month.
Irving, who entered the game with 17,997 career points, reached the milestone with a mid-range jumper before finishing with 36 points and nine assists. Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd sees Irving surpassing the 20,000 mark soon.
“Yeah, he’s only 2,000 away from 20,000,” Kidd told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “I think he’ll get 20,000 plus. Just his ability to score. We know the way he finishes with both hands, his creativity. I think, again, we can’t take him for granted. Eighteen thousand is a lot of points.”
Kidd, known more for his passing than scoring during his Hall of Fame career, joked with Irving that it’d be cool if he finished with 10,000 assists. During his 19-year career, Kidd racked up 17,529 points and 12,091 assists. While Irving has more points, he’d have a ways to go in the assist department after recently surpassing 4,300 assists.
“Jokingly with him, I told him I didn’t know how many assists he had, but if you got to the 10,000 mark, that’d be kind of cool,” Kidd told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “But just understanding his ability to score, I think he’s going to be one of those guys. That will be 20,000+.”
Kyrie Irving Has Emotional Reaction to Reaching 18,000 Points
Reflecting on reaching the 18,000-point milestone, Irving shared his emotional response, highlighting the challenges that caused him to miss games earlier in his career. He felt he should have reached this mark sooner as a result.
“I was about to drop a tear,” Irving said. “Just the past few years, the games that I’ve missed, and the injuries, I feel like I should have been at 18,000 a long time ago. It’s all God’s plan, so I’m not going to question it, but I’m grateful.”
Irving also spoke about the rarity of such accomplishments in the league and his sense of responsibility to those who paved the way.
“Some guys never get a chance to even reach 10,000 or 5,000,” Irving explained. “I just feel like I’m representing the guys who came before me. I’ve looked up to them so much.”
The eight-time All-Star, who is 6 feet 2 inches tall, expressed surprise at achieving such a feat, given his size and the competitive nature of the NBA.
“When I heard that, I was like, ‘I’ve reached 18,000?’ That’s a lot of points in the best league in the world for a 6’1″ guard like myself,” Irving said. “I’m excited to celebrate, not only with myself selfishly, but with my family because they’ve been right there with me.”
Irving continues to thrive as one of the league’s most potent offensive threats, averaging 24.1 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.5 rebounds this season. Recently, he even passed Kobe Bryant for 27th on the NBA’s all-time three-pointers-made leaderboard, continuing to make his mark on league history.
