DALLAS — On Wednesday, the NBA announced that Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving is among six finalists for the 2024-25 NBA Sportsmanship Award. Although Kyrie would surely love to earn the award, being selected as a finalist is an honor. Mavs head coach Jason Kidd reacted to Irving’s accomplishment before Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.
“For Kai to be in that category is great,” Kidd told reporters. “It’s well-deserved. It just shows what the players think about Kai and the impact that he has on and off the floor… Not just our guys wearing Anta but everyone else around the league starting to wear Anta, it just shows the belief, or the confidence that they have in Kai. It’s really cool to see him hopefully get that award… Hopefully he does get that award.”
Kidd is hopeful that Irving will win the award. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jarrett Allen, Jrue Holiday, Franz Wagner and Dorian Finney-Smith are the other five finalists.
Irving’s season is unfortunately already over, as he suffered a torn ACL in March. The injury was a devastating blow for both Kyrie and the Mavs. Dallas is still looking to reach the postseason via the NBA Play-In Tournament, but making a deep playoff run will be difficult without Irving.
The good news is that Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford recently returned from injuries, while Dereck Lively II is expected to return for Wednesday night’s Hawks-Mavericks clash.
Will the Mavs clinch a postseason spot? It remains to be seen, but they won’t give up. There is no denying the fact that Irving’s presence has been missed on the floor in recent action.
As for the NBA Sportsmanship Award, players around the league will ultimately select which finalist will take home the Joe Dumars Trophy. Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey won the award last season.
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