In the one-year anniversary of Kyrie Irving's trade from the Brooklyn Nets to the Dallas Mavericks, the polarizing guard visited Barclays Center as a visiting player for the first time since January 2019. Irving's “revenge game” of sorts ended in victory for his Mavericks as he dropped 36 points to lead the way for Dallas in their 119-107 win over Brooklyn.

There were plenty of narratives surrounding Irving's return to Brooklyn; after all, what began as a free agency move to the Nets with a ton of promise ended in flames when he requested a trade last year. Moreover, Irving's penchant for off-court controversy cast a dark cloud over the past one and half years of his stay in Brooklyn. Nevertheless, for the Mavericks guard, he is looking back at his stay with the team from a fond point of view even in the aftermath of everything that transpired.

“I’m really a New Jersey kid that got to play for the Nets. I got to live out my dream,” Irving told TNT's Chris Haynes in his postgame interview following the Mavericks' win over the Nets.

Indeed, for people who grew up in New Jersey like Kyrie Irving did, the Nets looked like one of the coolest franchises to root for. Irving was born in 1993, so during his formative years as a growing adolescent who was climbing the ranks as one of the best young players in the country, the Nets franchise was in its heyday, with Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson, and Vince Carter all keeping the team in the playoff hunt year after year.

It's refreshing to see Irving maintain a positive point of view of his time with the Nets, as fulfilling a childhood dream isn't something every person gets to do. Alas, Nets fans won't exactly be calling the current Mavericks star's move to Brooklyn in 2019 a dream come true.

Irving, as much as he would want to blame others, had as much of a part to play in the Nets' disappointing past few seasons. It was evident that a divorce became necessary to lead the two parties to much better paths, and with the Mavericks, Irving appears to be rejuvenated as ever.