Kyrie Irving Not Really Into Exchanging Jerseys With Dillon Brooks
By Kyle Koster
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The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 112-108, last night in a pivotal game for Western Conference playoff seeding. After the final buzzer, Dillon Brooks approached Kyrie Irving so he could hand him some sweat-soaked laundry in one of those jersey swaps that have crept over from soccer.
It got a bit awkward as Irving just walked away.
Dillon Brooks and Kyrie Irving did a jersey swap.
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 21, 2023
Only thing is Kyrie did not want Dillon Brooks’ jersey. pic.twitter.com/feZKvyE6tP
Against long odds, Irving was asked about the incident during the postgame and provided an answer we should all aspire to use when our partner asks why we didn't accomplish anything on the to-do list they left for us.
Mavericks' Kyrie Irving says it wasn't intentional that he didn't take Dillon Brooks' jersey in a post-game swap:
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) March 21, 2023
"I saw that after the game. I'll probably get it next time. Probably next time. Not this time. I was really onto the next thing, thought process-wise." pic.twitter.com/ItEYxyIeWi
"I was really onto the next thing, thought process-wise" is genius. It implies that one is so engaged, so powerfully firing on all mental cylinders, that they cannot be bothered with the trivial things of this Earth (whether it be flat or rounded).
It's been a long, long time since we found ourselves on the right side of enjoying Irving's unpredictable actions but when they come at the expense of Brooks, it's very easy to be on board. There are few players in the league thirstier to skip all the steps required to become A Guy and immediately be A Guy. Anytime he gets reminded of a pretty sparse résumé is both helpful and enjoyable.
Also, and it's not necessarily specific to Brooks, doesn't it seem a bit out of balance for so-called tough guys to do a jersey exchange after the game? Not saying there's anything wrong with the ritual, just that you can either be an enforcer or a shirt-swapper, not both.