Watch: Kyrie Irving apparently switched to No. 11 jersey during Mavericks media day 

Back in February, the Dallas Mavericks acquired Kyrie Irving by trading away Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and an unprotected first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets. Irving was able to play 20 games for the Mavericks in the 2022-23 season and played over 38.2 minutes per game.

Despite the disappointing finish to the season, Irving agreed to a three-year $126 million deal in free agency to remain with the Mavericks. With the team preparing for the coming regular season, Kyrie Irving was seen wearing number 11 during Mavericks media day on his jersey, instead of the previous number 2. This was seen in a video uploaded by The Athletic NBA via X:

Originally, Irving used the number 11 when he played for the Boston Celtics. He played two seasons in Boston and averaged 24.1 points per game (48.9% shooting, including 40.4% from 3-point range), 6.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds.

Following his time with the Celtics, Irving donned the number 11 again when he played for the Brooklyn Nets. He lasted four seasons with the Nets, with his last season split into two with the Mavericks. With the Nets, Irving put up 27.1 PPG (48.9% shooting, including 39.6% from 3-point range), 5.8 APG and 4.8 RPG.

With a new season and entering his 14th year in the league, Kyrie Irving will seemingly be going back to the number 11.

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Kyrie Irving talks about his decision to sign a three-year $126 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks

As the 2023-24 regular season draws closer, the eight-time All-Star talked about his decision to continue playing for the Dallas Mavericks under a new contract:

"It wasn't too difficult of a process. Had Dallas as No. 1 on my list. Obviously, I looked elsewhere – salary cap opportunities, where I could fit in other guys around the league – but there just wasn't much space.

"And me being 31 now, I had to have a different vantage point," Irving added, "and I felt like I could not just settle here but be happy to come back here and be welcomed back with a warm embrace."

Besides taking into account every factor involved in his decision, Irving made sure to also factor in himself and how he was going to be if he re-signed in Dallas:

"I had already dealt with enough last season or the past few seasons, so they knew that I just wanted a lot of that off my back and off my shoulders of feeling like I had to be Superman or I had to be perfect. So, I think this is the best place to do it and continue to mature and grow as a man."

From Irving's comments, its clear he wanted to make sure that the burden of leading a team didn't solely rest on his shoulders compared to his past seasons. With a full offseason and training camp with the Mavericks, Irving is primed for a huge season alongside Luka Doncic.

In the 20 games he played last season in Dallas, he averaged 27.0 PPG (51.0% shooting, including 39.2% from 3-point range), 6.0 APG and 5.0 RPG.