Earlier this month, Boston Celtics All-Star Kyrie Irving stood before the hometown fans inside TD Garden and announced that he would like to re-sign with the team after this season. The announcement came as a surprise to many, including Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge.

“If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here next year,” Kyrie Irving said during his announcement to the fans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JjDT5Oczuw

Danny Ainge recently joined Toucher & Rich on 98.5 The Sport Hub. Amid the interview, Ainge noted that he had no idea Irving was going to make such a nice announcement.

“Kyrie just wanted to make that announcement then,” Ainge said during his interview with The Sports Hub. “I didn't know he was going to make it then and there. I think it's kind of neat that he did it where he did it, with all of the fans there on that night.”

Though most were surprised, Ainge says he had a feeling Irving would like to remain with the team.

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“The fact that he wanted to announce that and just get it out there was not surprising to us,” Danny Ainge said. “We felt like we were going to move forward with Kyrie for years to come. We had talked about it a little bit, but I guess that was just when he was ready to tell everybody he wanted to stay.”

Irving came to the Celtics by way of trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers last offseason. As part of the deal, the Celtics sent Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first-round pick, and the Miami Heat's 2020 second-round pick to Cleveland.

He missed a bit of time due to a knee ailment, but Irving's first year of service in Boston went well. In 60 appearances, the five-time All-Star averaged 24.4 points, 5.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 32.2 minutes per outing.

With Irving and Gordon Hayward returning from injury, the Celtics are among the favorite to win the Eastern Conference this season.

Boston's regular season campaign kicks off on Tuesday with a match-up against the Philadelphia 76ers. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. EST with TNT having live broadcast coverage.