Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving is looking forward to Tuesday night's highly anticipated showdown between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, which will feature former teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown facing each other for the first time.
Following Dallas' 125-122 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday, Irving revealed his excitement for the matchup between the Eastern Conference contenders.
Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban shared Irving's comments on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Kyrie Irving said that he’s going to have his ‘popcorn ready’ to watch Sixers-Celtics tomorrow.”
The Celtics (8-2) will visit the 76ers (9-2) on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, marking Brown's first regular-season matchup against his former team.
Kyrie Irving anticipates Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown reunion
Irving's interest in the matchup comes with his own history in Boston, where he spent two seasons from 2017 to 2019 alongside Tatum and Brown.
The nine-time All-Star helped the Celtics reach the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2019 before departing for the Brooklyn Nets that offseason.
Meanwhile, Tatum and Brown spent eight seasons together in Boston from 2017 to 2026, establishing themselves as one of the NBA's most successful duos.
The pair led the Celtics to six Eastern Conference finals appearances and two NBA Finals appearances, culminating in the franchise's record 18th championship in 2024.
Article Continues BelowBrown earned NBA Finals MVP honors after Boston defeated Irving and the Mavericks in five games.
Now with Philadelphia, Brown has helped the 76ers secure their best start through 11 games since the 2000-01 season.
Boston enters Tuesday's contest riding a three-game winning streak following Sunday's 117-97 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
With both teams among the Eastern Conference's early leaders, the matchup carries significant implications beyond the anticipated reunion between Tatum and Brown.