ANKARA

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving showed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza by wearing a chain with the Palestine flag in the shape of Israel's land mass.

In a pre-game interview on a San Francisco basketball court Tuesday, Irving, 32, was seen wearing the necklace.

"I’m excited for him (his Dallas teammate Klay Thompson). I want him to be present as much as possible, to really receive the love and the flowers that he deserves. He put in a lot of hard work here, a lot of sacrifice for this organization," Irving told reporters as Thompson, a former Golden State Warriors guard, returned to Chase Center to play against his ex-team.

"So it’s only right that we support him and show him a lot of love and get ready to compete on the court. It’s going to be one of those games," Irving added.

Home team the Warriors beat the Mavericks 120-117 in an NBA Cup game in San Francisco, California.

An eight-time NBA All-Star, Irving is one of the important players in the league and won the 2016 NBA title with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He had also played for the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets before moving to the Mavericks in 2023.

Last season, Irving attended a post-match press conference wearing a keffiyeh to show solidarity with Palestinians.

Last year, the NBA and Irving's team the Mavericks confirmed their support for Israel following an October 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

Israel has continued a devastating offensive on Gaza since the attack by Hamas, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 43,700 people have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and over 103,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.