Owen: I was not the real me before. I just want to be healthy now. I will get along with my family every day.

August 1, August 1, Mavericks star Kyrie Irving talked about his feelings in recent years in a podcast program.

Irving said: "I don't want anything to hide from the world that needs to be deliberately hidden. I don't want to hide my true self from the world. The thought of me doing this most of my twenties - I really want to tell you, don't do it.

"Because when I was 21, 22, 23, 24, the me I played in front of the camera - was not the real me. That was just a few fragments. At that time, I was just trying to play a role, you know, what a professional athlete or an NBA player should look like.

"At that time, that was the coolest thing. But now, brother, one of the best things I can do is wake up and take a breath of air every day, step on the ground with both feet - walk by yourself, wake up and see my family. I will not take these moments for granted."

On March 4, 2025, Irving suffered a sprain of his left knee in the first quarter of his home game against the Kings and was helped to leave the court. Shams then updated his injury, and Irving's left knee had a torn anterior cruciate ligament and was reimbursed for the season.