Kyrie Irving

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Lore & Background

Irving played one year of college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils before joining the Cavaliers in 2011. He won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the 2014 All-Star Game. In the 2016 NBA Finals, Irving made the championship-winning three-pointer to complete the Cavaliers' historic comeback over the Golden State Warriors. After another Finals appearance in 2017, Irving requested a trade and was dealt to the Boston Celtics. He played with the Celtics for two seasons, after which Irving signed with the Brooklyn Nets as a free agent in 2019. After four seasons with the Nets, he requested a trade and was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks in 2023, with whom Irving reached his fourth NBA Finals in 2024. He has also played for the United States national team, with which Irving won gold at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. In February 2020, he was elected as one of the seven vice-presidents of the National Basketball Players Association, replacing Pau Gasol. Irving's decision not to get vaccinated for COVID-19 led to him missing the majority of the 2021–2022 NBA season. Throughout his career, Irving has promoted numerous conspiracy theories. Some of these conspiracies, including tweeting a link to the film Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America (2018), have been characterized as antisemitic. For a time prior, Irving promoted a theory that the Earth is flat, which he later recanted. Irving has written, directed, and acted in a number of advertisements as 'Uncle Drew', which became a feature film in 2018. He has starred as himself in Kickin' It (2012) and has done voicework in We Bare Bears (2016) and Family Guy (2018).

In Their Own Story

The air inside Quicken Loans Arena was thick with forty years of frustration as Game Seven of the 2016 NBA Finals reached its final moments. The Cleveland Cavaliers trailed the Golden State Warriors until Irving stepped to the free-throw line and later, near the top of the key, created his own shot. With the series tied and history on the line, he dribbled once, twice, and released a smooth three-pointer that swished through the net to seal the victory. The roar of the crowd was deafening as players collapsed in celebration, marking Irving not just as a star, but as the man who delivered the city its most cherished championship.

Reader's Guide

Irving was born in Melbourne, Australia, on March 23, 1992; the son of Drederick Irving and Elizabeth (née Larson) Irving, American expatriates. He has an older sister, Asia, and a younger half-sister, London. Drederick played college basketball at Boston University alongside Shawn Teague (father of Jeff and Marquis Teague). After completing his college career, Irving's father moved to Australia to play professionally for the Bulleen Boomers in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL). Irving and his family lived in the Melbourne suburb of Kew before relocating to the United States when he was two years old. Irving holds dual American and Australian citizenship. Kyrie is ambidextrous. Irving's mother, who was African American and Lakota, died of an illness when he was four, and Drederick raised Irving along with the help of Irving's aunts. In 2004, Drederick remarried to Shetellia Riley, who is currently Kyrie Irving's agent. Irving grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, where he frequently attended his father's adult-league games. Irving's inspiration to play in the NBA came after playing at Continental Airlines Arena during a school trip in fourth grade, when he declared, 'I will play in the NBA, I promise.' Due to his father's connection to Boston University, Irving spent a lot of time in Boston, including at BU's basketball skills camp. Irving said that in the fifth grade, he was offered a scholarship to Boston University by then-head coach Dennis Wolff. As a teenager, Irving played for the Road Runners of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). Irving played for Montclair Kimberley Academy during his freshman and sophomore years in high school. Irving averaged 26.5 points, 10.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.6 steals and became only the second 1,000 point scorer in the school's history. In his sophomore year, Irving led MKA to its first New Jersey Prep 'B' state title. After that year, he transferred to St. Patrick High School but had to sit out the first 30 days of the season due to the transfer. At St. Patrick, Irving played with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who was widely regarded as one of the best players in the class of 2011. In his first season, Irving averaged 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game, and led the team to its third New Jersey Tournament of Champions title in four years. In August 2009, he led the USA East to the

Did You Know?

• Irving was born in Melbourne, Australia, and holds dual American and Australian citizenship.
• He is ambidextrous.
• His mother was African American and Lakota.
• He was elected as one of the seven vice-presidents of the National Basketball Players Association in February 2020.
• Irving has promoted conspiracy theories, including a flat Earth theory which he later recanted.