The Dallas Mavericks vs. Memphis Grizzlies game on Monday night was a thrilling contest, but it lacked some star power.

The onus was on Kyrie Irving to lead Dallas to victory after Luka Doncic missed his sixth straight game. However, in the fourth quarter, Irving’s attempt was unsuccessful as the Grizzlies won 112-108 at home.

The Grizzlies were missing Ja Morant for the ninth straight game as he served an eight-game suspension away from the team.

Irving and Morant hugged on the FedExForum court after the game, and the Mavericks guard was questioned about their conversation.

“I believe any hardship in life builds character and when you’re dealing with particular hardships in the public eye, especially with the media being attracted to keeping up with what we’re doing or what’s the next kind of grab or story,” Irving said. “I don’t want to assume anything by every media member, but that’s just the way it seems from me and my perspective.”

The eight-game suspension that Morant received from the league for brandishing a gun on his Instagram live while attending a Denver nightclub on March 4 has just come to an end.

While the NBA looked into the matter, Morant participated in a Florida counselling programme to learn stress management techniques and enhance his overall health during his time away from the club.

Irving is aware of how Morant is feeling right now because he has faced with criticism from the public and media in the past. 

“There was an overload of judgment with Ja, and there was an overload of judgment of what I had going on,” Irving said. “And there’s usually an overload of judgment from the public court of opinion, so with that working hand in hand and we’re such a public league, we’re going to deal with situations that may be very difficult for the person going through it but I think that’s why we stretch our hands out to one another to be there for each other.”

Irving dealt with backlash from the public eye right before the beginning of this season after promoting an anti-Semitic film on social media, which led to a suspension from the NBA and the end of his partnership with Nike.

For someone who has been in his shoes, Irving believes it’s important to be there for Morant through a time of controversy.

“With Ja dealing with that, I think the initial shock was dealing with the public opinion and all of the extra hoopla that comes with it, but then there’s a real human being dealing with emotions so I cared about that aspect,” Irving said. “That’s where I poured my energy to.”

With ten games left in the Western Conference standings, it’s possible that Morant may face Irving and the Mavericks in the opening round of the postseason when he suits up for the Grizzlies on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets.

“I wished his family well wishes, wished him well wishes and I just pray for his peace of mind. That’s all I really care about in this thing,” Irving said. “The basketball thing is one thing, but peace of mind is everything so I’m happy to see him out there today.”