Luka Doncic shares heartfelt birthday message for former teammate Kyrie Irving

Luka Doncic may no longer represent the Dallas Mavericks, but his bond with his former teammates remains as strong as ever. A recent social media post from the LA Lakers star made that clear, as he sent birthday wishes to Kyrie Irving.

Sharing a throwback photo of the two from their time in Dallas, Doncic captioned it:

“Happy birthday Hermano!!! @kyrieirving *fire emoji*”

Credits: Instagram (@lukadoncic)

Doncic and Irving shared the Mavericks’ locker room for nearly two seasons before the former was traded to the Lakers in February. Despite now being rivals in the Western Conference, the two have kept the 'NBA business aside' and their friendship remains intact.

Irving told reporters in February:

“We’ve texted back and forth. I’ve let him know that regardless of how this NBA business shakes out…We’re loyal to each other’s families now. We had a lot of sacred conversations that went beyond the court, and just helping each other as men.

"I set my mission early on when I got traded here of just what I wanted to accomplish with him and I felt like we got that going and unfortunately it was cut short, but we’ll see each other pretty soon."

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving exchanged praise after Lakers-Mavericks clash

Less than three weeks after the blockbuster trade shook the NBA, the Lakers and the Mavericks faced off in a highly anticipated matchup at Crypto.com Arena. As expected, the Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving duel entertained fans across the globe.

Irving led all scorers with 35 points, adding 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in a well-rounded performance. However, it was Doncic who led the Lakers to a 107-99 victory, notching an impressive triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists.

After the final buzzer, the former teammates shared a heartfelt moment — a handshake followed by a warm hug. Their mutual admiration was even more evident during their respective postgame interviews.

“Kai is my hermano. We go way beyond basketball,” Luka Doncic said.

“Felt like we were in practice all over again, going at each other,” Irving shared. "That was a good reflection point. And then just seeing the crowd cheer for him and just get him going and see him make some of the tough shots that I've seen him make thousands of times… It was fun. It was fun competing."

Unfortunately for the Mavericks, Irving has sustained a season-ending ACL tear in his left knee. With several other players also sidelined, Dallas’ playoff hopes have become slim to none. The Mavs are 11th in the West and 2-8 in their last 10. Defeating the Pistons stopped a four-game losing streak, but there is not much room for optimism in Dallas right now.

Making matters worse for Mavs fans, Luka Doncic is thriving in his new role with the Lakers. Averaging 26.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game, he's been instrumental in the team’s improvement since the trade.

While LA has fallen to back-to-back defeats, JJ Redick’s boys boast a 15-8 record since acquiring Doncic. The Lakers are now two games off the No.2 seed in the Western Conference and confidence is high.