Dillon Brooks says Kyrie Irving is like Kobe Bryant: ‘When you’re growing up, you want to aspire to be able to do what he does’

The Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies faced off on Monday night, and after the game, Kyrie Irving gave his jersey to Dillon Brooks.

Irving didn’t take back Brooks’ jersey, but that didn’t stop the University of Oregon product from praising the Mavericks guard, saying that he’s like Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan in the sense that people aspire to be able to do what he does.

The Duke University product is one of the best players in the NBA today. His ball-handling and finishing at the rim are two of his best qualities, and he constantly makes magnificent plays that fans always love to see.

He’s gotten into some trouble in recent seasons for his actions off the court, but that hasn’t stopped him from showing out when he’s been on the floor. This season, Irving is recording 27.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game while knocking down 49.2 percent of his shots from the field and 38.2 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.

Unfortunately, his Mavericks squad is sitting at 36-36 right now, only good enough for seventh place in the Western Conference. The team would land in the play-in tournament if the season ended today. Dallas is only 8-10 since making its blockbuster trade for Irving.

Irving is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and while it seems like he’s been linked to the Lakers nonstop over the past year, Los Angeles reportedly isn’t going to pursue the eight-time All-Star this summer.

The former No. 1 overall pick had a pretty close relationship with Bryant and has paid tribute to the Lakers legend plenty of times since his death in 2020.

Plenty of people will surely have some strong thoughts on Brooks’ comments, but Irving’s talent is undeniable. He’s looking to win the second title of his NBA career.

In order to make it to the playoffs this season, Irving might have to go through LeBron James and the Lakers. Los Angeles is 11th in the West right now, but the team is only a half-game behind the Utah Jazz for 10th.

Dallas and Los Angeles could very well end up facing each other for the eighth and final playoff spot in the conference. That game would undoubtedly have tons of hype surrounding it.