Damian Lillard Shows Mavs' Kyrie Irving Ultimate Respect

Damian Lillard is no stranger to poetry, as he is a member of the hip-hop community thanks to his five-album run. Another NBA star familiar with creating art is Kyrie Irving. However, the Dallas Mavericks star point guard practices poetry in motion as one of the best ball-handlers ever and is the author of one of the best shots in NBA history. The Milwaukee Bucks point guard recently spoke highly of Irving.

Club 520 is an entertaining podcast co-hosted by Jeff Teague, DJ Wells, and Bishop B Henn. Teague's humility and honesty help lead the podcast in a world with athletes afraid to "embarrass" themselves or others.

"One-on-one… Kyrie [Irving is] a tough matchup… You can guard him perfect, and he’ll still make it," Lillard said of Irving.

Aside from the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals, the rest of the Mavericks' deep playoff run supported Lillard's case. Los Angeles Clippers forward P.J. Tucker experienced it firsthand in the first round. Tucker guarded Irving on the right wing as the Mavs All-Star danced him into a four-point play during the series-closing Game 6.

More impressively, Irving humbled the Minnesota Timberwolves superstar. Anthony Edwards grew irrationally confident after beating the Denver Nuggets at home in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals. The young guard dared to claim he would guard Irving publicly.

Irving ultimately smoked Edwards by scoring 30 points or more in three of the five games.

In classic Teague fashion, the former Indiana Pacers guard found a way to make the crew burst into laughter.

Related: Kyrie Irving Drops Honest Admission About How Anthony Edwards' Viral Comment Impacted Him

"At one point in my career, I guarded Kyrie more than anybody in the NBA. I get killed every time," Teague said laughingly.

Irving is one of "the toughest" to guard one-on-one, which is why the Celtics' superior team defense performed well against the iso-killer.

However, the Mavericks seek redemption from their short stint in the 2024 NBA Finals.