It doesn’t seem like Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving is going to play in the NBA into his 40s.
“Basketball is an eternal flame,” the 34-year-old said Monday, per Christian Clark of The Athletic. “In terms of the NBA schedule and things of that nature, you have to really be in love with that, too. The weight lifting. The unseen hours. The media prep. Just going in and being ready to play at a high level. Also, you have social media and gambling right now, which is running rampant. It’s not the same NBA I fell in love with as a kid.”
He went on to say playing in the league has become “less human” and “more robotic” since he was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2011 NBA draft.
“I don’t see myself playing in the NBA at 42, 43. Shoutout to the head honcho over there still going. Even Steph (Curry). Klay (Thompson) and James (Harden) and KD (Kevin Durant). I looked at those guys as big brothers for a while, but now that I’m in this age of 34, 35, I love my manhood and growing as a man more than growing as a basketball player.”
The “head honcho” comment was likely a reference to LeBron James, who played alongside Irving on the Cleveland Cavaliers from the 2014-15 campaign through the 2016-17 one. They won a championship together, and James has since added another ring to his resume when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers.
James is now on the Philadelphia 76ers in what will be his age-42 season.
As for Irving, he missed the 2025-26 campaign as he recovered from a torn ACL that cut his previous season short after he appeared in 50 games.
He also hasn’t reached the 70-game mark in a season since the 2016-17 one.
While he may not have that many seasons remaining in his career, Irving is one of the best guards of his generation with a resume that includes a championship, a Rookie of the Year, three All-NBA selections and nine All-Star nods.
Fans may want to make sure they see him in person this season because he is already thinking about retirement ahead of the Mavericks’ opener on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets.