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Kyrie Andrew Irving (/ˈkaɪri/ KY-ree; Lakota: Ȟéla, lit. 'Little Mountain'; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named the Rookie of the Year after being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. An eight-time All-Star and three-time member of the All-NBA Team, Irving won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016. He is widely considered one of the best ball handlers of all time.[2][3][4][5]
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, where Irving reached his fourth NBA Finals with the team 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.[6] 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 movie Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, have been characterized as antisemitic. For a time prior, Irving promoted a theory that the Earth is flat, which he later recanted.[7]
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).
- ^ "Kyrie A. Irving – Player Profile". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- ^ Kimble, Kade (July 17, 2023). "LeBron James: Mavs Kyrie Irving Best Ball Handler 'Ever!'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
- ^ "Top 10 best ball handlers in NBA history". The TwinSpires Edge. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ Aroko, Alex (December 8, 2017). "Top 5 Players With The Best Handles In NBA History". Sportskeeda. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ Zion, Sports (August 10, 2021). "Top 10 Best Ball Handlers in NBA History". Sportszion. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ "Kyrie replaces Pau as a VP of players' union". ESPN. February 17, 2020. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ Pete Blackburn. "[Kyrie Irving apologizes for saying Earth is flat, claims he was 'into conspiracies' https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/kyrie-irving-apologizes-for-saying-earth-is-flat-claims-he-was-into-conspiracies/]." CBS Sports, October 1, 2018. Accessed May 17, 2023.