Last night marked the end of festivities and fun times as the season moved into the serious end of the business. Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, well aware of that, made the most of the situation. Why not? After Luka Doncic’s exit and Anthony Davis’ unfortunate injury, the 32-year-old has to bear the brunt of the Mavs’ load on his shoulder. So, before heading into the final push ahead of the postseason, he had a little too much fun at the All-Star break. However, the star’s particular act (Shush! stealing money) left the internet divided. 

The 2025 All-Star Weekend had so many interesting events spread over the last three days. In a critical view, the majority of fans complained that commercials and other events dominated the Sunday night festivities more than the balling action. Anyway, now, we aren’t getting into that debate. Instead, let’s focus on what Kai did.

For the first ever time in All-Star history, the NBA put together a mini-tournament of three games to determine the champions. No matter whether this format was interesting or not, it did give more room for commercials and other fun on-court activities. One such act was hosted by the famous YouTuber, Mr. Beast. He challenged an 18-year-old from the crowd to drop a three-pointer from the logo before Damian Lillard could sink three from the same distance for a prize money of $100k.

Guess what? After multiple attempts, Jaren Barajas, who wanted to use the money for college, dropped it! Following that, the arena exploded with a loud cheer, and all the mascots and a few players came in the celebrate the youngster, who was thrown in the pool of money. Amid this frenzy, Kyrie Irving flicked a few bucks from the pool and slid away. Hmmm! What’s he even going to do with those few bills when he has millions in his bank account? Anyway, let’s hear what fans have to say.

Fans react to why Kyrie Irving ‘stole money’

Firstly, we at Essentially Sports don’t endorse such an act and it was purely taken in a lighter spirit. And of course, fans always find creative ways to troll. Well, the first reaction isn’t really a troll, but it’s more like a depressed Mavs fan’s outcry. They wrote, “Cause we couldn’t afford Luka.” In a way, the fan was right. Apart from listing Luka Doncic‘s questionable fitness, the franchise was worried about the 25-year-old star demanding a super-max contract, as per reports. 

Even though those few dollars won’t make any difference, the fan did hit the right note. Another fan, riding on the same line, wrote, “Man doesn’t get paid enough haha.” This time, the fan could be quite wrong. Mind you, Uncle Drew has a career earning of $311 million and is also eligible for an extension this summer. The star guard’s bank balance is pretty heavy just as we all imagine.

This fan wrote, “He just like us man 😂“ Yes, it could be true. This hilarious act could be a cheap thrill for the star. Well, he already has enough thrills in his life, like saving the Mavs in clutch on multiple occasions. Meanwhile, some sections of fans stood by the star’s act. One fan wrote, “so he can give to the homeless” Even though it sounded promising, it’s logically impossible to help the homeless with the handful of money he took. 

Anyway, finally this fan had a logical answer, as they wrote, “Probably fake and wanted a souvenir.“ Yes, there are so many possibilities for that currency to be fake, considering that it was a show put up in front of thousands of fans. Mr. Beast could just wire the money to the youngster. So, like the fan said, it could be fake currency and Kai just wanted a piece of it. Nevertheless, what do you make of it? Let us know in the comments.