He has yet to ink pen on paper, but Kyrie Irving has already made his decision.

As everyone already knows, the All-Star point guard will re-sign with the Boston Celtics when he becomes a free agent in 2019. The decision was a long one for Irving, who didn't announce his intention to re-sign in Boston until just a few weeks ago.

So what exactly is the allure for Irving as he looks to spend his long-term future in Boston? None other than the culture that the franchise has built up as he explained to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

"Most importantly, it's being connected to an incredible, incredible culture that has existed way before me and will exist after me. I wanted to be part of that," Irving said.

Irving will be 27 years old this season and although he's a former NBA champion, he has yet to win a title as "the guy." It's the very reason he demanded a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers, so he could lead a franchise to an NBA title. In Boston, he has the deepest roster in the league that features established stars such as Al Horford and Gordon Hayward and a young supporting cast that features the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier.

The veteran point guard also dipped into the reason why he left Cleveland for Boston.

"I was at that point where I just didn't know what to do, where to go," Irving said. "But I knew I needed a change and move forward and you gotta take that leap by yourself at times and deal with the criticism that comes along with it. I knew there was a part of my career that I envisioned myself being in. And I knew that challenge was not gonna come being where I was."

Irving also admitted that he still has a lot of things left to learn in his career.

"I think you have to set yourself up in a reality that you want," he said. "You have to realize certain habits that you kinda learn being in different environments it probably won't get me any further than where I want to be. There's a lot of unlearning to be done still in my life. But the realization that I have a long way to go and a lot to learn in my career is something that I'm so excited about. Because that only involves learning from the greats that came before me. Taking the time to be patient with myself and understanding that I can help others by helping myself."

Although the Golden State Warriors remain the cream of the crop in the NBA for now, the Celtics are obviously lined up to be the team to beat in the NBA over the next half-decade. Irving's decision to re-sign with the Celtics will ensure that their closer will be around for when they do become the team to beat in the NBA.