NBA star Kyrie Irving’s deeply held connection with China a case of ‘paying it forward’

No offence to Kyrie Irving’s Dallas Mavericks teammates or, for that matter, the Houston Rockets, but there is no question who will get the loudest cheers on Friday and Sunday in the NBA China Games.

Nor is there any doubt which player will attract the most cameras and reporter questions during Thursday’s Mavericks-Rockets Media Day, which is projected to be covered by more than 400 journalists, most of them from China and other Asian countries.

China’s love fest with Mavericks star guard Irving, 34, dates well over a decade. During a quiet moment of reflection after Wednesday’s practice in Macau’s Venetian Arena, The Dallas Morning News asked Irving why he engendered such strong feelings in the country, and vice versa.

“Well, when you come here at 19 years old, it’s hard not to make friends and get to know everybody,” he said. “I think initially coming over here, I didn’t know what to expect, and it’s grown on me ever since because of just the amount of support that I get.”