Kyrie Irving, The Magic Man From Melbourne
Becoming a basketball player is not only about talent. Hard work, perseverance, and practice along with talent land a player among the glorious. One of the modern Basketball greats is Kyrie Andrew Irving. The NBA star was born on 23rd March 1992 in Melbourne, Australia. Irving’s professional career started in 2011 when he opted for the 2011 NBA draft and was picked to play for Cleveland Cavaliers. He has one of the hardest playing positions in the arena i.e the Point Guard.
Early Years and Family
In Melbourne, on 23rd March 1992, Kyrie Irving was born to Dredrick Irving and Elizabeth Irving, American expatriates.
Irving is the second child among the three. He has an older sister Asian, and a younger sister London.
Dredrick Irving moved to Australia to play professional Basketball for the Bulleen Boomers. The Irvings lived in Kew, Melbourne. The family relocated to the United States in 1994. Kyrie Irving was admitted to a catholic school in 1996. He holds dual citizenship i.e American and Australian.
Elizabeth Irving died in 1996 when he was only 4 years old. He was raised by his father alongside his aunt, the sister of Elizabeth. In 2004, Kyrie Irving’s father married Shetellia Riley who now is Kyrie’s agent.
Irving spent his early childhood in West Orange, New Jersey, where would watch his father play basketball. As a son of a professional Basketball player, he aspired to play at the highest level. It was in fourth grade that he was heard saying ‘ I promise I will play the NBA’. In the fifth grade, he was offered a scholarship to Boston University by Head coach Dennis Wolf. Wolf coached the Boston university Basketball team for 15 years.
High School Career
Playing For Montclair Kimberley Academy
In high school, he began playing for Montclair Kimberley Academy. The extraordinarily talented Irving exhibited his skills in his second year of high school with staggering stats on average of 26.5 points, 3.6 steals, 4.8 rebounds, and 10.3 assists. He became the second-highest 1000-point scorer in the history of the school.
Playing For St. Patrick High School
After playing for Montclair Kimberley Academy, he thought that he needed a higher level of playing. Thus, started playing for St.Patrick High School.
In his very first season at the school, he led his school to the Third New Jersey Tournament of Champions. Irving ended his senior year at St. Patrick with blistering figures of 24 points, 7 assists per game, and 5 rebounds.
Playing For The 2010 Junior National Team
Irving was selected to the 2010 Junior National Team, the 2010 McDonald’s all-American game, and the Nike Hoop Summit. Irving played a valuable part in the FIBA American Under-18 championship. The US was the winner of the tournament and received a gold medal.
The College Career
In 2010, he played for Blue Devils with outstanding scores. During his first year at the college, he was a potent runner for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). But unfortunately suffered a toe injury.
Professional Career Of Irving
Career At Cleveland Cavaliers (2011-2017)
In 2010 Irving decided to enter the NBA draft. He was picked up by Cleveland Cavaliers. At the end of the season, he averaged 18.5 points and 5.4 assists. Irving had already announced his arrival at beginning of his professional career with extraordinary performance.
His first Rookie of the year award came in 2012.
First All-Star Appearance 2012-2013
Unfortunately, at the outset of the NBA season 2012-13, Irving got an injury while playing against Dallas Mavericks. During the same season, he scored his career-best of 41 points in a game against New York Knicks. Thus, becoming the youngest player to score 40 points in Madison Square Garden by overtaking Michael Jordan. Who achieved the same feat in 1985.
Gauging the class of Irving, the Coaches decided to play him in the All-star game. An all-star game is among the best players picked from National League and American League teams.
He ended the season with 22.5 points, 1.5 steals, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists.
2013-14 Season
In 2013 he was the MVP of the all-star game. On 5th April 2014, Irving recorded one of his career’s highs with 44 points against Charlotte Bobcats. Stats for the season were on average 20.8 points, 1.5 steals, 6.1 assists, and 3.1 rebounds.
2014-15 Season: First NBA Final & Making Of Big Three
A $900 million contract was signed with Cavalier on July 10th, 2014. Lebron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving teamed up to form a “Big Three” in Cleveland. The Cavaliers won 8 consecutive games with Irving averaging 19.3.
Irving played a crucial role in the Cavalier’s winning 34 of 43 games of the season. Playing with an injury, Irving helped Cavaliers reach the NBA finals for the second time in the club’s history.
2015-2016 Season: Winning The NBA Finals
Irving had a shaky start to the season. He was not at his very best. The team managed to reach the final of the NBA championships. It was in the finals that Irving regained his magic touch.
The club was facing a 3-to-1 deficit. Irving and Lebron James held the reins of the affairs and each scored 41 points. Both became the first-ever teammates to score 40 points, in the history of the tournament. The Cavaliers won the finals with a margin of 4-3.
2016–2017 Season: The Last Season With Cavaliers
In October 2016-17, Irvin scored against New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, New Orleans Pelicans, and Atlanta Hawks. His performance throughout the season was exceptional and took his team to the finals. But couldn’t get the team over the line and lost the series 4-1 against Golden State Warriors.
This was Irving’s last season with the Cavaliers. He requested the management to trade him as he didn’t go well along with Lebron James.
A Career With Boston Celtics (2017-19)
Irving started on a high note for the Celtics, scoring 22 points and 10 assists. In his first 6 games for the Club, he scored 128 points. Irving led the club to nine consecutive wins, which was the longest winning streak in 7 years.
A career with Brooklyn Nets (2019 to present)
After playing two years for Boston Celtic, Irving signed a contract with Brooklyn Nets. On 23rd October 2019, Irving made his debut with 50 points. He became the first player in NBA history to achieve this feat on debut. Irving is actively playing for Brooklyn Nets and has played a formidable role in the team’s victories.
Acting in Television Series
In 2012, Irving played the role of Uncle Drew in the Pepsi Max series. Apart from acting in the series, he also wrote and directed 2 episodes of the series.
Irving also appeared in the Disney XD series, acted as a guest star on Family Guy, and worked as a voice-over artist in season 17 of “ Big Trouble In Little Quahog”.
Venturing In Business
Irving launched his brand of underwear in 2015. In 2019, Irving struck a deal with Nike worth $ 11 million U.S dollars. Television shows like Friends and SpongeBob SquarePants featured Irving’s theme sneakers.
Personal Life
Irving is an avid reader with liking for singing, dancing, and playing the Baritone Sax. His cousin Isaiah Briscoe played for the University of Kentucky.
In 2018, Irving received a welcoming ceremony at Standing Rock Indian Reservation which was a mark of his family’s services to the Sioux tribe. In 2021, he became an enrolled member of Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
In April 2021, Irving announced his adherence to the religion of Islam with a commitment to all races, cultures, and religions.
Social Welfare
Irving has a big heart and takes active part in Social Welfare activities. In November 2016, Irving manifested his support for water protectors at Standing Rock Indian Reservation.
He regularly donates to various social causes through K.A.I family foundation. He paid students’ debts at Lincoln University and donated a home to the family of George Floyd.
In 2021 he initiated Paani Project in Pakistan through his foundation.
