Kyrie Irving Is $1 Million Richer As Luka Doncic & Mavs Unlock One of Mark Cuban’s Incentives

Wednesday saw the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat, 111-92, marking their 50th win this season, clinching the 5th seed in the Western Conference and winning 16 of the last 18 games. They are now on their way to being a worthy contender in the upcoming playoffs. But this isn’t all that they have to celebrate. This impressive feat has also made their shooting guard Kyrie Irving $1 million richer.

Now as it turns out, Kyrie had a lot on the line during this particular game. As per a clause in his contract, the Mavericks were supposed to win at least 50 games in the regular season, and Irving, in fact, had to play in 58 games for him to unlock that $1 million bonus for himself.

Back in July 2023, ESPN reporter Bobby Marks took to his official X account to reveal details of Kyrie Irving’s three-year contract after he was traded from the Nets to the Mavericks. Along with receiving a guaranteed amount of $120 million, the contract also stipulated that the player would have an additional $6 million tied-in incentives. These incentives would only be provided if Irving played a certain number of games and, along with his team, achieved a certain level of success. In accordance with the terms of this, Irving is getting a whole lot richer.

This isn’t the only target Irving had to meet this season. To get another bonus, he was required to play 65 games, which is something he might not be able to achieve, considering there are only 2 games left in the regular season. Nevertheless, he did not shy away from thanking Luka Doncic and other teammates, without whom, he wouldn’t have achieved this feat. Brad Townend reported earlier about his heartfelt message. As per Brad, Kyrie did not waste any time in going up to his teammates after the game was over, saying, “Thank you for my bonus, fellas”. Overhearing this comment, Mark Cuban was quick to troll Kyrie back, saying, “Kyrie, what bonus?”

Well, the retorts, no matter how funny, do solidify the fact that Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, and Co. have led the Mavs to achieve new heights this season. Plus, the Shark knows that the time has come for him to pay the team’s second-highest average scorer his due 7 figures bonus

How has Kyrie Irving performed during the ongoing regular season?

According to NBA reporter Grant Afseth, Kyrie Irving had once put out a statement that said “I wanted everything that was structured in my contract incentive-wise to be based on production.” Knowing the challenge that he had set for himself, the player went a long way in earning that incentive-based bonus.

Along with appearing for 58 of the Mavericks’ 80 games till now, Kyrie Irving has been averaging 35 minutes on the court. His average score currently stands at 25.6 points, 5 rebounds and 5.2 assists. This allowed him to become the second-highest average scorer of the season as the athlete below him, Tim Hardaway Jr, is currently scoring only 14.2 per game. The player’s shooting ability also left several analysts in amazement, as his field throw percentage currently stands at 90.5% and his true shooting percentage at 60.8%.

Irving’s best performance occurred recently during the Mavericks clash against the Houston Rockets. Despite the fact that Doncic’s on-court time had already yielded 37 points for the Mavericks, the 32-year-old went out of his way to make an extra effort. Through a relentless performance that involved 15-25 field goals and 15-17 field throws, Irving had managed to add a season-high 48 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists.

The previous season had concluded with the Mavericks listed as the 12 seed. Today, they stand strong in the 5 position. Their current 14-2 record hasn’t been repeated since their championship-winning season back in 2011. Through his performance, Kyrie Irving and others have allowed the franchise to attain this stage.

READ MORE: Kyrie’s Revelation Of Luka Doncic’s Statistical Dominance Sparks A Rally For His Overlooked MVP Candidacy