Mavericks' Kyrie Irving Relishes NBA All-Star Game Victory: 'This Was Earned, Not Given'
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving celebrates All-Star game victory with Shaq’s OGs, emphasizing, "This was earned, not given."
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving stood out during the 2025 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night at Chase Center, not for winning the MVP award but for his contributions to his team's victory. Despite Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors taking home the MVP award, Irving's excitement was palpable as he walked into the postgame interview room, proudly clutching the championship trophy.
“This was earned, not given,” Irving said. “What you’re looking at is the All-Star game champions — Shaq OGs. I feel like we’re representing for all the OGs around the world. They say that you don’t get better in your 30s, but I think our generation is proving otherwise. Great weekend, great fan engagement, great new format. Applauses all the way around for everybody making this a great weekend.”
“This is the first time I’m taking some hardware home other than winning the All-Star game MVP,” Irving said, reminiscing about his 2014 MVP honor. “I asked the guys if I could take it home. This is going on my mantel. I feel like we really earned this, and we had fun. I felt almost like the last run of the Mohegans of this generation.”
The game ended with Shaq’s OGs, featuring stars like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Irving, and Curry, overcoming Chuck’s Global Stars with a score of 41-25. Irving played a significant role, scoring 4 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, and delivering 2 assists.
“We did not want to waste time with those young guys,” Irving said. “You know how special those guys are. When you start playing around with them, they’ll take advantage of you.”
Irving’s highlight was showcasing his athletic prowess by throwing himself an alley-oop off the backboard before dunking it.
“Man, I still got bounce,” Irving joked. “I told you, I’m getting more athletic in my 30s. In the All-Star game, a few of the players — my predecessors before me – threw it off the glass. So, I thought I’d join the ranks with them.”
Given the event was held at Curry’s home, the Chase Center, Irving embraced the opportunity to continue to feed him the ball while providing a competitive all-around effort for the fans to appreciate.
“It’s easy to feed the hot guy,” Irving said of Curry. “Once he hit his first three. Basically every time we’re looking for him, and you could see it. When he’s in his hometown and playing in front of his home crowd, we all know what that means as his peer. We’re not going to get in the way of that.
“I think that’s what this weekend was about,” Irving explained. “Just picking each other up and celebrating the good things about basketball, but also being very competitive with each other, which after this weekend it starts again.”
The All-Star weekend was also a time for Irving to enjoy with family, particularly his 9-year-old daughter, Azurie Elizabeth, who was present for the festivities.
“She had a lot of fun, man,” Irving said. “I’m ready to start my break now. I had all these obligations and stuff like that, and it’s been enjoyable, but I’m ready to spend some time with my family and my kid.”
Irving also praised the new round-robin format of the All-Star game, which he felt kept the event competitive and engaging.
“I think the NBA did the best they could and still make it competitive,” Irving stated. “You’ve got to keep everybody on the floor. There were a lot of commercial breaks, a lot of things going on, engaging with the fans, engaging with former players. I enjoyed myself. It was a quick weekend. We got the W, and we represented for the OG’s.”
Irving, who has averaged 24.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 44 games, returns to action with the Mavericks on Friday when hosting the New Orleans Pelicans. With Dallas holding a 30-26 record, the team ranks eighth in the ultra-competitive Western Conference standings.
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