With two consecutive wins against the Timberwolves and a fan-favorite honor for himself, things are going well for Mavs star Kyrie Irving. Notably, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 by 109-108. And now the league recently awarded Irving with Handle of the Year winner. Meanwhile, former Detroit Pistons star Isiah Thomas took the moment as an opportunity to extend his support to the 32-year-old. 

Taking to his official X account, Thomas wrote, “All love ❤️ @KyrieIrving.” This came as the former Pistons star re-shared the post by the official X account of Mavericks captioned, “Handled business all season long.  @kyrieirving is your #NBAFanFavorites Handle of the Year winner.”

The honor for Irving comes for his play against Dillon Brooks in a game against the Houston Rockets on April 7. The Mavs star displayed his amazing ball-handling skills and beat Brooks to finish a layup with his right hand while falling down. Notably, in a recent episode of ‘The Big Podcast’, Allen Iverson had already declared that Irving has got the best handles.

Whereas Andre Iguodala picked ‘Uncle Drew’ as a player he fears when the score is tied in a playoff situation. “He’s just so good… can’t get the ball out of his hands… You talk about fear factor? You ask anybody in the league, that’s a scary guy,” he said on The Ryen Russillo Podcast. Considering all the hype and praise, there was no doubt Irving is taking this title with him for season 2024.

A closer look at other winners of 2024 Fan Favorites

Just like Kyrie winning Handle of the Year, the speculations around Dunk of the Year also came true. Anthony Edwards received the honor. The play had come against Utah Jazz’s John Collins during the third quarter of a game, where Edwards ran the floor full speed in transition and launched himself from the dotted line. What came next was a poster dunk so nasty that it even attracted some criticism against the Wolves’ star. 

This dunk by the 22-year-old not only won him Dunk of the Year but also earned Melissa Majchrzak the honor of Photo of the Year. Notably, Majchrzak is an NBA team photographer, who covers the Utah Jazz. However, it was not just Edward’s moment of offensive prowess that gained recognition. The Wolves star also got Block of the Year to his name for 2024. This was a game-winning block against Pacers, where Ant-Man leaped so high he hit his head on the rim. 

Apart from this, the Assist of the Year went to Demar DeRozan for a play against the Milwaukee Bucks. Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander grabbed himself the honor of Fan Favorite Style of the Year. What is your opinion of the list? Let us know in the comments if you have any different names in mind for a particular category.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.