Irving considering playing on the 2028 Australian Olympic team

SAN FRANCISCO – Not long after Sunday’s NBA All-Star game at Chase Center, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving said he’s in the process of putting things in play so he can possibly represent Australia in the 2028 Olympics, which will be in Los Angeles.

“I’m just trying to figure out what’s going to be the best route for me to be eligible,” Irving said. “There’s a lot of paperwork in between that. Obviously, Team USA still has a decision to make. But for me, I’m just trying to do what’s best for me.”

Irving was born in Melbourne, Australia, on March 23, 1992. At the time, his father (Drederick) was playing pro basketball for the Bulleen Boomers in the South East Australian Basketball League.

Irving and his family moved to the United States when he was two years old, and he currently has dual American and Australian citizenship.

In the past, Irving has flirted with the idea of playing for the Australian Olympic team. Particularly since he’s already won a gold medal with Team USA in 2016 when the Olympic Games were played in Rio de Janeiro.

“Honestly,” Irving said, “if I can be an Aussie at one point in my career and play for the Australian team, that’ll be great.”

Irving, though, would have a dilemma on his hands if the NBA decides to change its All-Star game format again and pit players born in the United States against players born outside of the United States.

“I would pick (playing for) the World right now, man, just for competition sake,” Irving said. “But I’m always going to be with my USA guys. We have so much history together.

“I’m just grateful that I can be both. Raised in the US, but born in Australia and representing the international players, too.”

BEST BASKETBALL MESSAGE: Irving said the best basketball message he can give anyone is: “Don’t let basketball use you. Use basketball. I think this business has a way of rewarding us in a material way, but I think this is more a spiritual aspect for me having a purpose and a calling that’s bigger that just putting the ball in the hoop.

“This connects me to all walks of life all around the world, and I’m enjoying every minute of it. There are some times when you go up and down – just falling in love with the game, falling out of love with it. But the fans, your family and sports systems around you is really what keeps you going, and that’s’ what I try to focus on.”

A nine-time All-Star who is in his 14^th season, Irving leads the Mavs in scoring (24.6), assists (4.8), steals (1.3) and minutes played (36.6). He also has played at least 40 minutes in each of his last five games, and he loved the camaraderie with the players and fans during All-Star Weekend.

“The engagements that we have all around the world, too, that’s a beautiful thing,” Irving said. “Basketball can bring somebody together from Germany, from Africia to Australia, and they don’t have to say a single word in their language, but they understand how to play with each other. That’s the most beautiful thing I can be a part of.

“Sharing the floor with those (All-Stars) was special. You’ve got champions, you’ve got guys that are all-world everything and have done a lot for this league.”

Irving also said the source of his confidence is: “God first and knowing that failure is just an object in your mind. It’s a fixation that you got to get over yourself.

“You got to keep trying new things, keep adding new skill sets to your life, and then basketball will take care of itself. It’s just a sport. It’s a vehicle. There are bigger things going on, but that’s what makes basketball easy when you put it in perspective.”

BRIEFLY: The Mavs will back in action on Friday at 7:30 p.m. when they host the New Orleans Pelicans at American Airlines Center. Then, they travel to San Francisco for a 2:30 p.m. contest on Sunday against the Golden State Warriors in a game that’ll be televised nationally on ABC. From there, the Mavs will fly to Los Angeles where they’ll play  on Feb. 25. against LeBron James, Luka Dončić and the Lakers in a game that’ll be televised nationally on TNT . . . Irving enjoyed watching Victor Wembanyama – the San Antonio Spurs’ 7-3 second-year center — going full bore in Sunday’s All-Star game. “He was going hard and he was being very aggressive, and that’s the way he should be,” Irving said. “I know that he was taking it very serious, and that’s commendable and that’s respectful. I just love seeing young guys have that competitive edge. When Wemby is in front of me, it’s just like if I’m in front of him and we’re going to try to go at each other.” Why? “It’s a No. 1 pick inter-dialogue that goes on,” Irving said. “I’m giving you guys some secret information right there. Us No. 1 picks definitely try to out-shine each other. It’s all healthy, but when we’re out there on the court we’re trying to go at each other.” Irving was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2011 draft while Wembanyama was the top pick in 2023 . . . The new All-Star game format came with mixed reviews from some players and fans. Mainly, they didn’t care for the long time between timeouts and games. Some of that lag time lasted nearly 20 minutes while a mini-concert and a tribute to the TNT broadcast team, which was covering All-Star Weekend for the final time, occurred. Irving, though, understood the situation. “Ad revenue,” he said. “You know, business behind the scenes. Everything matters in terms of that. I think the NBA did the best they could.” . . . Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry was presented with the Kobe Bryant Trophy, which went to the All-Star game Most Valuable Player. Bryant, who died a helicopter crash over five years ago, was a mentor to Irving. “He gave me a lot of advice,” Irving said. “But I think what really stuck with me is (Bryant said) just always be yourself and stay curious and just enjoy what you do every single day, keep God first and keep your family first and just put your best foot forward every single day.”

X: @DwainPrice