While getting ready for his third series against the Celtics after leaving Boston, this one in the NBA Finals, the 13-year veteran superstar thought back with nostalgia on his short tenure with the team and expressed regret over some of his past responses to the fiercely loyal fan base that has been antagonistic toward him.

Irving played two seasons for the Celtics before leaving in free agency to join his friend Kevin Durant with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2019 offseason. Irving is widely regarded by his Dallas Mavericks teammates as the team’s loud captain.

In the postseason, Irving’s Nets played the Celtics twice. In the 2021 first round, they defeated Boston in five games, and in the 2022 first round, which turned out to be his last postseason game for Brooklyn, they were swept. Angry Celtics fans and Irving shared some of those series’ most memorable moments, including the time a fan was arrested for hurling a water bottle at Irving following Brooklyn’s Game 4 victory in 2021 and the time Irving was fined $50,000 for giving fans the finger during the Nets’ Game 1 defeat in 2022.

Following the Mavericks’ Monday practice, Irving remarked, “I think I’m better at consolidating kind of the emotions now or being aware of what it’s going to be like.” “We label it hatred, anger, and the statement, ‘It’s going to be hell in Boston.’ I mean, there are actual, living situations that transcend beyond basketball, sort of the competitive aspect of things and providing answers to those kinds of problems.

“However, I will admit that my previous experience in Boston wasn’t the best—not during the regular season, but during the playoffs, when everyone witnessed me lose my shit and flip off the birds—it wasn’t a great representation of who I am and how I like to compete at a high level. I didn’t think that was a good example for the future generation of how to handle your emotions in that kind of setting, even when people are screaming at you.

“I was made to be able to manage situations like that, and ever since then, I’ve been able to develop. Naturally, there will be a lot going on, but I’m excited about it and see my relationship with the fans as a positive one. I almost imagine ‘Gladiator,’ just managing to win over the audience. A quiet TD Garden is a pleasant sound when you’re playing well. They continue to value excellent basketball.”

After three straight Finals trips, capped by winning the 2016 championship, Irving requested to be traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Irving was an All-Star in each of his seasons with the Celtics.

In 2018, when rookie Jayson Tatum and sophomore Jaylen Brown led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals, Irving was sidelined by an injury for the entire postseason. Throughout the following season, Irving’s impending free agency and lack of a long-term commitment to Boston cast a shadow over the team as the Celtics were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round.

Given his standing as one of the top players in the game, Irving acknowledged that he had received some “fair criticism” for his brief stay in Boston. However, he believed that “a little bit more grace could have been extended my way, especially what I was dealing with during that time as a human being.”

“I know sometimes in sports, it’s literally about the end goal and result and what you accomplish, and that’s one thing,” Irving stated. “But in the end, we’re still only human. That was not the best version of me. Looking back, all I can see is that it was a period of time when I developed my ability to let go of things and express my feelings.

For the most part, it was just a phase in my life that I got to enjoy. We had a wonderful chance to do some unique things, but I had to cut it short for personal reasons. The greatest thing I learned from Boston, looking back on my time there—I’ve mentioned this a few times in the past, but it always seems to get ignored—was how to handle not only my emotions, but also the day-to-day challenges of leading a team or being one of the leaders, and dealing with young guys who surround you and have their own aspirations, but you also have to learn how to prioritize the bigger picture.”

“Nothing short of proud,” Irving said, he attempted to impart as much knowledge and insight as he could to Tatum and Brown throughout their time as teammates. They have grown into one of the league’s finest star tandems. Though they haven’t spoken since the Celtics and Mavericks secured their trips to the Finals, he claimed he has maintained his brotherly bonds with Tatum and Brown in the intervening years.

“This basketball stuff is going to be competitive,” Irving stated. “We’re going to attack each other no matter what. But after getting to know them as people, I realized that, like other people I had the opportunity to meet in the Boston organization, they are truly unique individuals.”

After Boston’s practice on Saturday, Tatum—who mentioned that he still speaks with Irving on occasion during the season—spoke about how he had “a lot of great memories” from his two seasons of playing with Irving.

“Yeah obviously there were some ups and downs but I think, for me, being a first-, second-year player, being around a superstar, essentially, every day and seeing how to navigate that space, and then obviously on the court, he’s one of the most talented guys I’ve ever seen,” Tatum stated. “So it seems like a very long time ago but I’ve got a lot of great memories from having Kai as a teammate.”

Tatum acknowledged the Mavericks and Irving’s “great fit,” but he also said he took a lot of lessons from the 2018–19 season, which marked Irving’s second and final season in Boston. The Celtics had a turbulent season, starting the season with talk of them being the heirs to the Eastern Conference following LeBron James’ summertime departure to the Los Angeles Lakers, but ending with a five-game loss to the Bucks in the East semifinals.

Regarding his experiences from that season, Tatum said, “I just learned that being on such a talented team, that it’s not just talent that’s going to take you over the top.” For the squad to have a chance, you need individuals who are prepared to make sacrifices and who are willing to perform other tasks.

“It was a problem for all of us, not just Kyrie. We all had a part in the season’s failure, and we all gained knowledge from it. Everybody moved on. While some guys left and went on to accomplish great things since that season, the rest of us stuck here. I simply view that as a lesson from my second year of study.”

Irving is aware that the Finals will feature a lot of discussion about his past with the Celtics. He claimed that ever since he made the decision to move to Brooklyn, he has been “bombarded” with inquiries regarding Boston and that he will not let the past “cripple” him.

Irving, who has led the Celtics to the Finals this postseason with Luka Doncic, averaged 22.8 points and 5.2 assists per game. “Regardless of the attention that’s being paid to what it’s going to be like on my end, I have a group to lead that’s going to be looking at me for a voice of peace and to be able to control what I can control and also help them through it,” Irving said.

I’ll absorb the brunt of the abuse, including the taunts and yells, and comments, but I’ve been able to learn from that experience and accept that I’m capable of handling situations better, particularly when I want to devote the majority of my focus on doing well. Even while it could occasionally be enjoyable, I can’t just be getting into it with fans like that because it’s a waste of energy. Asking individuals questions that they have asked in the past is a waste of both my time and my talent.

“People will bring up the extra stuff and the record. Once more, there are days and periods of idleness in between, so you watch the media commentators going about their daily business. It’s awesome. But I’m excited for the challenge of playing against the Boston Celtics and for the opportunity to guide my team.”