When healthy, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has been known as one of the NBA’s best players and one of the top point guards in the league.
Irving, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, has piled up accolades in his career. He’s a nine-time All-Star, won All-Star Game MVP in 2014, and was the 2012 Rookie of the Year. He famously hit the game-winning three-pointer in Game 7 of the NBA Finals for the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, helping them complete their 3-1 comeback against the Golden State Warriors.
The most consistently praised part of Irving’s game is his ball-handling. Many consider him one of, if not the best, to ever do it. But not everyone agrees.
Former superstar Tracy McGrady, best known for his four seasons with the Orlando Magic where he won two scoring titles, believes former Indiana Pacers guard Jamaal Tinsley might have had the best handles of all time.
Kyrie Irving Responds to Tracy McGrady’s Comments on Handles
“I don’t think nobody had better handles than Jamaal Tinsley, even Kyrie [Irving],” McGrady said. “I think Jamaal Tinsley’s handles are probably the best I’ve seen. That’s an argument though.”
Irving was shown McGrady’s comments and explained why that kind of talk doesn’t bother him.
Kyrie’s response to Tracy McGrady saying Jaamal Tinsley has better handles than him 👀 https://t.co/tHoF3IiVuD pic.twitter.com/Cxk74CFgbk
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) June 14, 2025
“When I see these things happen, when I see an OG like T-Mac come out and say, ‘I don’t think anyone had better handles than Jamaal Tinsley, even Kyrie,’ it doesn’t bother me because I’m a mix of all the great players that came before me,” Irving told reporters with a laugh. “You gotta understand, I wouldn’t be who I am without watching the guys who came before me.”
Irving clearly respects the players who came before him and believes he’s building on what they did.
“I just took it to a whole different place,” Irving said. “When it comes to every portion of my game, I feel like I try my best to pay homage to those who came before me. So when he’s talking like this, I know he’s talking about one of the guys that he’s seen with better handles, but I don’t think he had the same movement. Jamaal Tinsley was not moving like me.”
Irving believes he’s taken his ball-handling and movement to another level.
“I don’t think anyone moves like me,” Irving said. “I think we have similarities and they’ve advanced different things, but me creating a foundation on just really teaching this generation how to still be having the streetball game… I play like I grew up outside, which I did. I grew up like I played on the playground. I just happened to make it to the league, to the pros.”
Irving, who is currently rehabbing from a torn ACL, averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in 50 games before the knee injury. He can opt out of his contract this summer, but is expected to remain with the Mavericks and is targeting a January return to the court.