Kyrie Irving Says He Wants to Change His Narrative in Dallas

After practicing with the Dallas Mavericks for the first time, Kyrie Irving sat in front of a team-themed backdrop on Tuesday afternoon to express his excitement and criticize his former employer.

“I want to be in a place where I’m celebrated and not just tolerated or just kind of dealt with in a way that doesn’t make me feel respected,” Irving said in his first public remarks since the Nets fulfilled his trade request and agreed to send him to the Mavericks on Sunday. “And there were times throughout this process when I was in Brooklyn where I felt very disrespected.”

Irving, 30, whose tumultuous three and a half seasons with the Nets were marred by absences, distractions and controversy, spoke with reporters after meeting his new teammates at the University of Southern California. Irving, an eight-time N.B.A. All-Star who is expected to make his Mavericks debut on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, said he felt nothing but “genuine love” since joining the team.

He added that he looked forward to “being one of the leaders on our team, alongside the coaches and the front office, of just exemplifying what greatness looks like.” He also complained that “no one ever talks about my work ethic.” In Dallas, he said, “I just want to change that narrative and write my own stories.”

And so it went for Irving, one of the N.B.A.’s most polarizing stars — a dynamic point guard with a history of social activism, but one who has also spent recent seasons trafficking in conspiracy theories. On Tuesday, he made it clear that he blamed the Nets’ front office for nearly everything that had gone wrong.

“The greatest lesson I could share with you that I learned from signing in Brooklyn for free agency is, I wish I would’ve gotten to know the people that were behind the organization,” Irving said.