Dallas Mavericks acquisition Kyrie Irving does not want to be constantly asked about committing long term to his new franchise, which he says is "very emotionally draining".
Irving was unveiled by the Mavericks to Dallas media alongside Markieff Morris following their trades from the Brooklyn Nets prior to their home debuts against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
The Mavericks have made it clear their move for Irving was geared towards chasing an elusive NBA title and the 30-year-old point guard proactively requested that reporters not ask him about his future beyond this season.
"It puts unwarranted distractions on us and our team," Irving told reporters. "I've dealt with it before, and it's very emotionally draining to ask questions like, 'What's the long term? What's the long term?'
"I will say that from the start, from when I came here, there's been nothing but a warm embrace, nothing but genuine love and nothing but a familiarity of relationships that I can really look to in times of questioning or confusion.
"There's just a positive note there. I'm just taking it one day at a time. That's all I can do in this life.
"What the future holds is really only going to be dictated on what I do right now and how I prepare for those next steps, and that's being the best teammate that I can be in that locker room and a great leader out here and within the Dallas community and within the NBA. I'll just continue to be myself.
"I'm just putting that to bed and just focusing on what we have ahead of us as a team."
Irving has started life with the Mavs well, averaging 25.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists across three games where they have won two.
The eight-time All-Star's acquisition does come with question marks given the off-court issues he has caused over the past few years, but Mavs general manager Nico Harrison downplayed any risk.
"I don't see any risk involved," said Harrison, whose relationship with Irving dates back to high school. "I've known Kyrie for a long time. I know his core. I know what kind of person that he is.
"I think anybody that's ever watched him play basketball knows the type of basketball player he is. I don't see the risk involved. I actually see the risk in not doing the deal."
Fever's Clark scores career-high 31 to win final matchup with fellow rookie Reese
Before a sellout crowd of 9,445, Caitlin Clark scored a career-high 31 points to go with 12 assists in her final regular-season matchup with fellow rookie sensation Angel Reese to lead the Indiana Fever to a100-81 rout of the reeling Chicago Sky on Friday night.
Clark became the only player in league history with three games of at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in a season. She was 8 for 14 from the field, including 5 for 9 from 3-point range, in her 11th double-double.
Reese tallied 10 points and 11 rebounds, breaking a tie with Tina Charles for rookie double-doubles with 23 and passing Sylvia Fowles for the Chicago season record. Reese got the record with 1:32 remaining, long after Clark and the other Indiana starters left the game. She also has a rookie record 399 rebounds.
Clark may have locked up the top spot in the much-hyped Rookie of the Year race as the Fever (16-16) beat the Sky (11-20) for the third time in four matchups, solidifying their probable playoff berth while Chicago is barely hanging on to the last spot as the season winds down.
Warriors, Curry agree to one-year, $62.6million contract extension
The Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry have agreed to terms on a one-year, $62.6million contract extension that will keep the four-time NBA champion with the only franchise he’s ever played for through the 2026-27 season.
That campaign will be the 18th in the NBA for Curry, who is slated to earn $55.7million next season and $59.6million in 2025-26.
Curry, who captured a gold medal with Team USA at the Paris Olympics earlier this month, has won four NBA titles and two league Most Valuable Player Awards while also earning 10 All-Star selections.
The 36-year-old guard was the MVP of the 2022 NBA Finals as well as the MVP of the NBA All-Star Game that season, and he’s been named to the All-NBA First Team four times.
Drafted by Golden State with the seventh overall pick in 2009, Curry is the all-time NBA leader with 3,747 made 3-pointers and is 10th in league history with a 42.6 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
Curry is also the best free-throw shooter in NBA history at 91.0 percent.
Caitlin Clark continues record-breaking rookie season with latest landmark
Caitlin Clark has again written her name into the record books following her latest performance for the Indiana Fever.
Clark, the first overall pick in this year's draft, has already set a number of benchmarks in her rookie WNBA season.
And that continued on Saturday even as the Fever lost 90-80 to the Minnesota Lynx.
Clark finished with 23 points and eight assists, and in doing so improved her seasonal tally to 520 points and 240 assists.
She is now the youngest player in WNBA history to pass 500 points and 200 assists.
Clark had already set a new record for assists in a rookie WNBA season, with her performances keeping the Fever on course for the playoffs.
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