Kyrie Irving Debuted a New Goatee During the Mavericks Game Against the Lakers

For much of the 2024-2025 season, Kyrie Irving has been rocking short hair and a full beard and mustache during his time playing with the Mavericks. As his team fights for seeding a year after they appeared in the NBA Finals, many wanted to know why Kyrie decided to change up his look with a few months left in the season.

Ahead of the Feb. 25 game between the Mavericks and Lakers, Kyrie debuted a new, extremely short goatee. For many who had gotten used to his full beard, it was a bit of a shock, so much so that they wondered what might have made him decide to shave. Here's what we know.

Kyrie did not offer any explanation for his decision to shave his beard, so we don't know exactly what motivated the move. It could have been a random, spur-of-the-moment decision that he made for no reason, or he could have decided to shave his beard because it was scratchy or because it got hot during games.

It does seem significant, though, that Kyrie decided to shave before one of the more significant games of the regular season.

Kyrie shaved ahead of the Mavericks' first game against the Lakers following the blockbuster trade between the Lakers and Mavericks that sent Luka Dončić to Los Angeles and Anthony Davis to Dallas. The game was seen as an opportunity for Luka to get some revenge, but it was momentous for both sides, in part because the Mavericks' management team was pilloried for trading away a player who could be a generational star.

For Kyrie, the game was momentous because it was a chance for him to see two of his best former teammates teaming up for the first time. Lebron James and Luka Dončić are now the co-stars of the Lakers, and Kyrie has gone to the finals with both of them. His only championship came with Lebron in 2016. The Lakers ultimately won 107-99, but it was a competitive game throughout, with Kyrie, Luka, and Lebron all putting on a show.

We may never know what exactly motivated Kyrie to shave at this particular moment, but what seems clear is that he was aware of how important this regular season game was for both teams. In the weeks since the trade, Kyrie has become the focal point of the Mavericks offense, especially because Anthony Davis got hurt in his first game with the team.

While the ceiling for the Mavericks will depend in part on whether they get their guys back from injury, there are now some suggesting that these new Lakers could make a run for a championship in a stacked Western Conference. If they're going to do that, winning games like their matchup against the Mavericks will be crucial. The Lakers will see them one more time in Dallas before the season is over.