In a playful social media post on Friday, Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić, who were colleagues with the Dallas Mavericks until Dončić was moved to the Los Angeles Lakers, showed signs of their ongoing camaraderie.
Standing on a yacht, Irving shared a Fourth of July photo on Instagram.
A snarky reply was left by Dončić in response to the post. According to what Dončić wrote, “Thanks for the invite on the yacht [laughing emoji]”.
Dončić was dealt to the Lakers in February, just before the midseason deadline, after nearly two years of playing alongside the guards.
Despite its comedic tone, the post went viral due of the strong bond and shared history between the two athletes, both on and off the court.
Irving has already been candid about the emotional toll that Dončić’s departure took on him. Soon after the trade, he called what happened a “grieving process” and called Dončić his “hermano,” the Spanish term for brother.
Irving stated, “Just really shocked,” in response. Getting ready to go to sleep and then hearing news like that is just not something you can fathom.
We are still in the midst of the grieving process.
My brother is gone. Irving stated that he and Dončić stayed in touch via text messaging following the trade, and that their bond went beyond just their court relationship.
“We’re no longer betraying each other’s families,” Irving declared.
We helped each other out as men and had many sacred chats off the court.
In 2024, the Mavericks were led by the duo to the NBA Finals, where they were defeated in five games by the Boston Celtics.
Both players have maintained their upbeat attitudes about their time playing together, despite the fact that their partnership did not lead to a championship.
The Lakers are trying to restructure around the All-NBA guard, Dončić, and he is about to play in his first full season with the team.
While waiting for Irving to get back to 100%, the Mavericks are putting their faith in first overall draft pick Cooper Flagg and expecting to remain competitive without Irving.
Even if the Mavericks’ front staff is still under fire for dealing Dončić, a comment made on Friday’s Instagram post brought back a personal connection between the two players.
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