The Dallas Mavericks were unable to complete their comeback against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, falling 115-114 in a hard-fought battle. However, eight-time All-Star selection Kyrie Irving was amazing, finishing the game with 36 points and 9 assists on .571-.364-.1000 shooting splits. As a result, he was able to leave with something, to quote the great Denzel Washington.
Mavs’ Kyrie Irving Breaks Down Career Milestone
Irving is now just the 83rd player in the NBA’s nearly 80-year-old history to eclipse 18,000 career points. Among active players, he’s just the 12th player to reach that milestone. Notably, Irving’s career scoring average (23.6 points per game) ranks 32nd in NBA history and 14th among active players.
Kyrie’s highlights from tonight’s game against the Timberwolves 👀 pic.twitter.com/M7jr8ld8vC
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) January 23, 2025
Asked about the achievement after the game, Irving became sentimental (h/t The Smoking Cuban’s Noah Weber).
“I’m excited about that! Seriously. I was about to drop a tear, no cap.”
Kyrie Irving on reaching 18,000 points tonight:
“I’m excited about that! Seriously. I was about to drop a tear, no cap…I feel like I should have been at 18,000 a long time ago…When I heard that, I was like wait I’ve reached 18,000? That’s a lot of ******* points in the best… pic.twitter.com/mjceQy9Ghq
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) January 23, 2025
“These past few years, the game that I missed and the injuries, I feel like I should have been at 18,000 a long time ago,” he admits. “But I’m grateful man. When I heard that, I was like wait I’ve reached 18,000? That’s a lot of ******* points in the best league in the world for a 6-foot-1 guard like myself…
I’m excited to celebrate, not only with myself selfishly right, but with my family because they’ve been right there with me.”
Putting It All In Perspective
As he’s known to do, the 32-year-old then took a big picture view.
“Some guys never even get a chance to reach 10,000 or 5,000,” he notes.
“I just feel like I’m representing the guys who came before me and I’ve looked up to them so much. And to be peers with some of the guys I’m still playing with when I came into the league and they’re still climbing up the ladder, they’re motivating me, and I think that’s what this league is about. There’s a lot of greatness that kind of rubs off on you and you want to stay in the game. You want to stay around it.”
With a message that inspires images of stars like Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, Sacramento Kings wing DeMar DeRozan and others, it makes one wonder just how long Irving will stick around. He’s as in love with the game of basketball and as dedicated to his craft as anyone. Due to the games he’s missed, he might even want to make up for lost time, so to speak.
All that can be sure is that he’s appreciative of this moment and the people that have helped him along the way.
“When you get a chance to still play and do it at a high level and you’re reaching marks of some of the greatest to ever do it, it’s something special,” Irving says. “So, I don’t take it for granted at all.”
