Kyrie Irving is glad to make a new start with the Dallas Mavericks after engineering a move away from the Brooklyn Nets.
Irving met with the media for the first time since the deal on Tuesday, saying he was "very disrespected" by his former team.
"I just know I want to be places where I'm celebrated and not just tolerated or just kind of dealt with in a way that doesn't make me feel respected," Irving said a day before the Mavericks' road game against the Los Angeles Clippers. "There were times throughout this process when I was in Brooklyn where I felt very disrespected and my talent — I work extremely hard at what I do. No one ever talks about my work ethic, though.