Kyrie Andrew Irving is a professional American basketball player who plays as a point guard. As of 2018, he is playing in the NBA/National Basketball Association for the Boston Celtics.
Irving is a 5-time NBA All-Star. In 2015, he was chosen to All-NBA Third Team. In 2016, he won the NBA championship as player with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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Early Life
Kyrie was born on 23rd March, 1992, in the city of Melbourne, Australia, to Americans Elizabeth Irving and Drederick Irving. Kyrie’s father, who had played college basketball, had moved to Australia to professionally play in the SEABL for the Bulleen Boomers.
Irving has two sisters. Elizabeth, Kyrie’s mother died when he was 4 years old. His father raised him with the assistance of his aunts. Shetellia Irving is her step mother. Kyrie lived in Kew, a suburb of Melbourne till he was 2 years old. He then moved to the US. He has dual Australian and American citizenship.
Kyrie grew up in the neighborhood of West Orange in New Jersey. There he often saw his father playing in the adult-league basketball games. He decided to be a professional NBA player in the 4th grade after he played at the Continental Airlines Arena when on a school trip.
As his father used to play for Boston University (BU), Kyrie spent lots of time there and even attended the basketball skills camp of BU. When he was in the 5th grade, head coach Dennis Wolff offered him a scholarship to BU. Irving played for the AAU/Amateur Athletic Union’s Road Runners as a teen.
Education and School and College career
During his freshman and sophomore high school years, Kyrie played basketball for the Montclair Kimberley Academy. He helped the school get its first Prep ‘B’ New Jersey state title. Irving felt that he was not challenged enough and hence got a transfer to St. Patrick High School. He subsequently helped the school win their third ‘New Jersey-Tournament of Champions’ title. In 2009, he helped USA East to win the Nike Global Challenge tournament title and was declared the MVP.
In 2010, Kyrie was a part of the 2010 Junior National Select Team and he also played the 2010 Jordan Brand Classic, the 2010 McDonald’s All-American Game, and the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit held at Portland’s Rose Garden. The same year, he was a member of the US team that won the gold medal at the ‘FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship.’
After school, Kyrie played basketball for the Duke Blue Devils during the 2010-11 season. The Dukes progressed to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament, but lost to Arizona. This was the last game that Irving played for Duke. He had scored 28 points in the game.
Professional Basketball Career
Irving entered the 2011 NBA draft and got selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as their first overall pick. He signed the contract in Dec 2011. After a good first season, Kyrie went on to win the 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
In 2014, Kyrie was named as the NBA All-Star Game MVP/Most Valuable Player. In the NBA finals of 2016, during the final 53 seconds of the tied Game 7 against the Golden State Warriors, he scored a 3-point field goal and helped the Cavaliers win the championship.
Kyrie requested the club to trade him after the Cavaliers lost a rematch in the 2017 Finals to the Warriors. On 22nd Aug, 2017, he was traded to the Boston Celtics. Irving made his debut for the Boston Celtics on 17th Oct, 2017. In March 2018, he underwent a minor surgery to take out a tension wire present in his left knee. He was subsequently ruled out for the full postseason as part of the recovery process.
Irving has been a part of the US national basketball team. He won gold with them at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Kyrie has acted as Uncle Drew in the Pepsi Max series of advertisements. He has also directed some episodes of the series. He has also acted in the ‘Uncle Drew’ movie which is slated for release in June 2018. Additionally, he has appeared in the Disney XD series ‘Kickin’ It’ and in ‘My Houzz.’ In the latter, he gave a major house renovation to his father and surprised him.
Personal Life and Trivia
- Irving has a daughter named Azurie Elizabeth Irving with his ex-girlfriend. She was born in Nov 2015.
- He keeps a journal. He also likes reading, dancing, singing, and plating the baritone saxophone.
- He is 6’3” tall. Rod Strickland, former NBA player, is his godfather. He has his own PSD Underwear collection that was launched in 2015.
- In Nov 2016, he tweet his support for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe demonstrators in North Dakota who were protesting against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
- Irving believes in the theory that the ‘Earth is flat.’ He has however denied this and has stated that he was misquoted about his belief in the flat earth theory.
Kyrie Irving – Salary and Net Worth
As of 2018, the net worth of Kyrie is estimated to be around $30 million. He has earned around $18 million in winnings and salary and around $12 million through varied endorsement deals.
