Following a rough fallout during his Brooklyn Nets stint, Kyrie Irving seems to have a smooth journey with the Dallas Mavericks. At least, that’s what the Texas team owner, Mark Cuban, believes. Before joining the Mavs, the NBA Champion almost lost his spot in the league after his political stance in 2022. However, Kai returned to the floor after a brief suspension, this time with the Mavs. While everyone expected the star to fumble his opportunity once again, he proved them. Cuban credits an ex-Nike employee for the feat, as well as himself!

The 8x NBA All-Star always had the public attention over his controversial decisions and statements. During the pandemic, the star refused to take the vaccination and missed a bunch of home games for the Nets. While the league let it slip, it didn’t go easy on his 2022 social media activity. Irving shared a link to a 2018 documentary and a book that the league considered anti-semantic and briefly suspended him. On the other hand, Nike, which patterned up with Kai since his debut, terminated his contract over his political stance.

Following the controversy, Kyrie Irving requested a trade to the Mavs. In short, a perfect place for the baller to be himself. Mark Cuban, featuring in the latest episode of Club Shay Shay, revealed how the star fit it with the side. Especially how the Mavs’ GM, Nico Harrison, sorted the Nike tussle. Notably, Harrison, before taking over the Mavs’ office in 2021, had 19 years of experience working with Nike.

“We got Nico Harrison right there. Nico gave him a lot of guidance and support. He had talked to him and worked with him at Nike, so Nico was great,” said Mark Cuban. Currently, Kai has a successful deal with Anta for 5 years worth over $100 million. Nevertheless, how did Cuban keep Irving out of “problems”? Let’s find out.

How did Mark Cuban manage to keep Kyrie Irving out of trouble?

Kyrie Irving came into the Mavs fold with a lot of controversies behind him. Usually, a team would never risk their cap space for a player who is prone to trouble. However, Cuban seems to have found a way to handle the star guard. In the same podcast, the Mavs owner said, “I talked to Kai about business and he was just like, ‘Mark, I just want to be myself. Lead the way, I want to lead and be creative’ and he found a great deal right, and he’s been making it work.”

Moreover, Cuban confidently added, “If you notice the deals he signed since he came to us, there’s no problems. There’s no issues because we just let Kai be Kai and when you do that, good things happen.” And, it certainly showed in Irving’s second season with the Mavs, as they reached the NBA Finals and lost to the Celtics.

Nevertheless, the team has a fresh chance, as they have added sharpshooter Klay Thompson to their side. It has definitely amped up the Mavs’ chances for the ring.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.