As he prepares to go to his ninth All-Star Game, Kyrie Irving can’t help but appreciate the symmetry.
It’s why he’s treating the weekend as one big daddy-daughter date.
“She’s nine years old,” Irving said. “I’m a nine-time All-Star.”
So while he’s going to San Francisco for the extravaganza, his heart will be firmly with daughter Azurie Elizabeth.
“Definitely going to take it as it comes,” Irving said of what he expects the weekend to be like. “ But I have daddy-daughter dates planned on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Azurie is really hyped.
“I was talking to her earlier on the phone and asking her do you remember your first All-Star Game? She was a little baby. And now that she’s nine, she’s able to have these memories etched in her brain a little better.”
While getting a long weekend to rest and recharge mentally would have been nice for Irving. He’ll instead have an assortment of obligations in San Francisco. There will be media responsibilities, time to work out with his All-Star teammates and the games themselves in a new format on Sunday.
But all of that will take a back seat to making sure his daughter has a memorable time.
She will get to meet NBA players. And WNBA players. Irving told her that this is like the NBA’s version of the Super Bowl, where everybody convenes to celebrate the game and visit with friends old and new.
And it will be a pleasure for Irving to know that his daughter is old enough now to sort of understand who her dad is.
“Yes, that feels good as a father,” Irving said. “Sacrificing my time. I always want to be there for her. But she’s had to understand at a young age that daddy’s working hard and trying to provide for her a better future. It’s good that we can talk about that.”
Irving’s first All-Star appearance came in 2013, his second season in the league and well before his daughter was born.
His ninth appearance comes after he was named by commissioner Adam Silver as an injury replacement for Anthony Davis, something that Irving said he does not take for granted, particularly considering the Mavericks’ situation as a 29-26 team that traded a megastar in Luka Doncic and has had a slew of injuries to virtually every player on the roster.
“When guys are in and out of the lineup, it is difficult to find that consistency,” Irving said. “I would say the best word is resiliency. It’s just a resilient year. Being an All-Star, being named by Adam Silver, I don’t take that lightly. I felt like I was earning my keep, as well, to be one of the top 26 players in the world. Just being resilient and being able to sacrifice some of my game to see others shine.”
Irving stopped short of calling this a rejuvenation of his career. He said, if anything, that happened last season when the Mavericks reached the NBA Finals.
“Maybe last year I would use that word,” he said. “Coming into the season and not sure how we were going to be successful. You were just being led by faith and it was a total team effort.
“The way I look at our opportunity here (now), it’s unique. Me personally, I’ve just been trying to be at my best every night and be ready to play however many minutes and lead us to victories. Ultimately, just be ready to play so there’s trust out there.”
Then, he added: “The Finals, it was great, loved that, rejuvenation last year. But this is just about being resilient, putting your hard hat on.”
And it’s also about knowing when to take that hard hat off and put on the warm, fuzzy hats that lead to good times with his daughter.
While NBA players sometimes are viewed as machines, they all have a home life. And Irving is enjoying his as much as ever.
“Just understand that some of the things I struggled with as a kid, when you see your child dealing with tough moments like that, you start to see yourself in them,” he said. “And the goal is to make sure they have better tools, better resources, to navigate it.
“I try my best to empower her, be there for her and she taught me how to be patient and stop worrying so much. As a parent, you always worry what your kids are doing. I’m still protecting. But I’m grateful for that aspect.”
X: @ESefko
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