Before Kyrie Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, many thought he would reunite with former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate LeBron James over with the Los Angeles Lakers. However, he headed to Texas instead, and memes were made.

For the first time since being traded to Dallas, the new Mavs star finally held his first press conference and addressed the LeBron James issue publicly.

"Me and Bron have grown as human beings. He's always gonna be my brother... But my focus is here. Unfortunately, the Lakers, they're doing what they're doing. That's it," he said in the press conference.

Clutch Points noted that he used the word "unfortunately" as LeBron James expressed his dismay that his Los Angeles Lakers did not do everything to get the former Brooklyn Nets star.

The two stars seem disappointed that they were not able to reunite, as James had been trying to get Irving, and Irving seemed to want to go to Los Angeles.

It was noted that Brooklyn Nets Governor Joe Tsai may have had a hand in Kyrie not going to the Lakers, as his goal was not to let him join his preferred team should he be traded.

Kyrie Irving Explains the Now-Deleted Apology Tweet About His Antisemitism Issue

Kyrie Irving's time with the Brooklyn Nets has been very controversial, from his vaccination issue to his most recent antisemitic issue, where he shared a link to an antisemitic documentary. The latest issue ended with Irving being suspended by the Nets and Nike terminating his contract.

According to Yahoo! Sports, this led to Kyrie Irving issuing a public apology and saying that the contents of that controversial documentary were false. However, several sports writers have noted that the apology tweet had already been deleted, and it had been deleted as far back as January 20.

READ NEXT: NBA: Brooklyn Nets Suspend Kyrie Irving Without Pay

Irving was asked about it during the press conference. In his statement, Irving said that he deletes a lot of things, adding, "I've had things that have happened before in my life, probably not as drastic as that moment, which led to a lot of confusion and uncertainty about what I meant and what I stand for. I had to sit up in front of these mikes and explain to the world who I am and I know who I am."

Irving was asked if he still stood by his apology despite deleting it, in which the new Dallas Maverick said that he stands by who he is and why he apologized, even mentioning that he has Jewish family members.

Dallas Mavericks Odds of Winning NBA Title Skyrocket After Kyrie Irving Trade

While regarded as a strong playoff team, the Dallas Mavericks were regarded as not an NBA championship contender, mostly because Luka Doncic seems to be the only true star on the team. However, Kyrie Irving's arrival changes that.

Forbes Magazine noted that the Mavs' championship odds were at 40/1 before the Irving trade. However, it jumped by 1675 in the odds and was now at 17/1 odds. Meanwhile, Brooklyn's odds went from 15/1 to 20/1 after losing Irving, as they still have Kevin Durant.

READ MORE: Kyrie Irving Net Worth: NBA Star Is Losing Millions After Nike, Brooklyn Nets Suspension Over His Antisemitic Post

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Kyrie on why he left Brooklyn: I want to be somewhere where I'm celebrated, not tolerated - ESPN