Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving

Irving with the Cavaliers in October 2013
No. 2 – Cleveland Cavaliers
Position Point guard
League NBA
Personal information
Born March 23, 1992
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight 193 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school Montclair Kimberley Academy
(Montclair, New Jersey)
St. Patrick (Elizabeth, New Jersey)
College Duke (2010–2011)
NBA draft 2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Pro career 2011–present
Career history
2011–present Cleveland Cavaliers
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Kyrie Andrew Irving (born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Irving was born in Melbourne, Australia but grew up in West Orange, New Jersey. He played collegiately at Duke University before being selected with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Cavaliers. Since being in the NBA, Irving has achieved a number of accolades including being the 2011–12 NBA Rookie of the Year and the 2014 NBA All-Star game MVP.[1]

Early life

Irving was born on March 23, 1992 in Melbourne, Australia.[2] He is the son of Drederick and Elizabeth Irving and the step-son of Shetellia Irving.[3] He has an older sister, Asia, and a younger sister, London. His father played for Boston University then went on to play professional basketball in Australia for the Bulleen Boomers.[4] Irving lived in the Melbourne suburb of Kew before relocating to the United States when he was two years old.[5][6] He has dual citizenship in the United States and Australia.[5] Irving's mother, Elizabeth, died from an illness when he was four, so Drederick raised him with the help of Irving's aunts.[6] He grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, where he often went to his dad's adult-league games.[1][6] His inspiration to play in the NBA came after playing at Continental Airlines Arena during a school trip in fourth grade where he stated "I will play in the NBA, I promise."[6] As a teenager, Irving played for the Road Runners of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).[7][8]

High school career

Irving during his tenure with St. Patrick High School

Irving played for Montclair Kimberley Academy his freshman and sophomore years in high school. He averaged 26.5 points, 10.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 steals and became only the school's 2nd 1,000 point scorer. In his sophomore year, he led MKA to its first New Jersey Prep 'B' state title.[7][9] After that year, he transferred to St. Patrick High School because he felt he needed a bigger challenge.[7] He had to sit out the first 30 games of St. Patrick's season due to the transfer.[9] While at St. Patrick, Irving played with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who was widely regarded as one of the best players in the class of 2011.[10][11] In his first season at St. Patrick, Irving averaged 17.0 ppg., 5.0 rpg., 6.0 apg. and 2.0 spg. He also led his team to their third New Jersey Tournament of Champions title in four years. In August 2009, he played in the Nike Global Challenge in which he led the USA East to the tournament title. He was the MVP with 21.3 ppg. and 4.3 apg.[8] The following year, St. Patrick was banned from the state tournament for holding practice prior to the permitted start of the winter sports season.[8][12] Despite being banned from the state tournament, St. Patrick went 24-3 and won the Union County Tournament championship. Kyrie finished his senior year with 24.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg. and 7.0 apg.[8] In his two years at St. Patrick, he lettered twice.[4]

On January 19, 2010, Irving was selected to the 2010 Junior National Select Team. The team played at the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, on April 10.[8][13] He was also selected to play in the 2010 McDonald's All-American Game and the 2010 Jordan Brand Classic, where he was named as co-MVP with Harrison Barnes.[14][15] In June 2010, Irving was a part of the United States gold medal winning team at the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship.[16] Irving was the #2 player in the class of 2010 by Scout.com,[17] #3 player in the ESPNU 100,[18] and rated as the #4 player by Rivals.com.[19] In addition, he was ranked #1 among point guards by ESPNU in 2010.[20]

College career

Irving committed to Duke on October 22, 2009, in a television broadcast on ESPNU.[21] Irving played with Duke during the 2010–11 basketball season under the guidance of head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Through the first eight games of the season, he averaged 17.4 points per game on 53.2% shooting, 5.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals.

He was quickly making his case for NCAA Freshman of the Year but in Duke's 9th game of the season, Irving suffered a severe ligament injury in his right big toe that sidelined him indefinitely.[22] On March 17, the day before Duke played Hampton in the first round of the NCAA tournament, it was revealed that Irving would return for his first game since December 4.[23][24]

Duke advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament but would fall to Arizona. Irving scored 28 points in what turned out to be his last game for Duke.[25]

College statistics

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010–11 Duke 11 11 27.5 .529 .462 .901 3.4 4.3 1.5 0.5 17.5
Career 11 11 27.5 .529 .462 .901 3.4 4.3 1.5 0.5 17.5

Professional career

Cleveland Cavaliers

Rookie of the Year (2011–12)

Irving announced that he would forgo his final three seasons of eligibility and enter the 2011 NBA draft, where he was selected with the number 1 pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers.[26][27] Irving signed a contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers alongside rookie teammate Tristan Thompson on December 10, 2011. Both Irving and Thompson were named to the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge. Irving played for Team Chuck while Thompson played for Team Shaq. Irving scored 34 points in the game, including going 8-8 from three-point range, and earned MVP honors.[28] For the season, Irving won the 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, receiving 117 of a possible 120 first-place votes.[29] He was also the only unanimous selection to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.[30] For the season, Irving averaged 18.5 points, 5.4 assists and shot 46.9 percent from the field, including 39.9 percent on three-pointers.[31]

First All-Star season (2012–13)

Irving during warmups in 2012

In a Las Vegas-based Cavaliers practice on July 14, 2012, Irving sustained a broken right hand after reportedly slapping it against a padded wall after committing a turnover.[32] "I am a little disappointed," remarked Irving. "I have to be more responsible about my health. It was just crazy. It happened so fast."[32] It was announced that Irving would require surgery on July 18 to repair the hand.[33][34]

At the start of the 2012–13 NBA season, Irving injured his index finger in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks. While he did play in the Cavaliers' next game, Irving's injury forced him to miss three weeks of action.[35] In his second game back, while donning a black protective face mask to protect a broken bone he suffered against Milwaukee, Irving scored his then-career-high 41 points against the New York Knicks. He became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40 points in Madison Square Garden—he was a year younger than Michael Jordan when Jordan did it in 1985.[36]

Irving was selected by the coaches to play in his first All-Star game. He finished with 15 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds.[37] He also participated in the Rising Stars Challenge again, scoring 32 points for Team Shaq in a losing effort.[38] Irving also participated in the NBA NBA Three-Point Shootout and recorded 23 points in the final round to win the event.[39]

Irving ended his sophomore campaign with averages of 22.5 points, 5.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game[40]

All-Star MVP (2013–14)

Irving was the NBA All-Star MVP in 2014

Irving was voted by the fans to be the starting point guard for the Eastern Conference in the 2014 NBA All-Star game.[41] Irving recorded 31 points and 14 assists and went on to win the All-Star game MVP as the East beat the West 163-155.[42]

On February 28, 2014, Irving recorded his first career triple double with 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in a 99-79 win over the Utah Jazz. This was also the Cavaliers' first triple double since March 16, 2010.[43] On April 5, 2014, Irving recorded a then career high 44 points in a 96-94 overtime loss to the Charlotte Bobcats.[44][45]

He averaged 20.8 points, 6.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals on the season.

Big Three formation (2014–15)

On July 10, 2014, Irving signed a five-year, $90 million contract extension with the Cavaliers.[46][47] His contract extension came in the wake of LeBron James' return to Cleveland and Kevin Love's trade request from Minnesota, as the trio teamed up to start a new "Big Three" in Cleveland. Despite a shaky start to the season in which they fell to a record of 5-7 after a loss on November 22 to Toronto, the Cavaliers went on an eight-game winning streak with the help of Irving as he averaged 19.3 points per game over the streak, including a 37-point game against the New York Knicks on December 4.[48] Following their loss on December 11 to Oklahoma City which ended their streak, the Cavaliers went on to win just five more games in December as they finished 2014 with a record of 18-14. All three of the newly-dubbed "Big Three" missed time during December, contributing to team's inconsistency and mediocre play despite the high expectations. The Cavaliers began their 2015 schedule on January 2 as they snapped a three-game losing streak with the help of Irving. He scored 23 points, and with Love's 27, the Cavaliers defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 91-87.[49] However, in a season-low game for Irving the following game against Dallas on January 4, he scored just six points before leaving the game in the third quarter with lower back tightness, as the Cavaliers went on to lose, 90-109.[50] He subsequently missed the next game against Philadelphia before returning to action on January 7 against Houston to tie a then first half career-high of 23 points. He finished the game with a then season-high 38 points but could not lead the Cavaliers to a win as they lost 93-105, the team's seventh loss in nine games.[51]

Irving against Russell Westbrook in 2015

After another losing streak spanning six games between January 4 and January 13 dropped them to a record of 19-20, Irving and James led the Cavaliers on a 12-game winning streak to bring them back into contention. During the streak, Irving averaged 24.5 points per game, including scoring a then career-high 55 points on January 28 against Portland.[48] His eleven three-pointers against Portland set a Cavaliers franchise record while his 55 points were the second most points scored in Cavaliers history (behind James' 56), and the most points scored in a home game for a Cavaliers player, as well as the most points scored in Quicken Loans Arena history. His 28 first half points also set a new career-high for points in a half.[52]

On March 12, 2015, Irving scored a career-high 57 points, including a buzzer-beating three-point shot to send the Cavaliers into overtime, in a 128-125 win over the San Antonio Spurs.[53] It was the most points for a player in a regular-season game against the defending champion since January 14, 1962, when Wilt Chamberlain scored 62 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a loss against the Celtics.[54] The effort also surpassed the Cavaliers' franchise single-game scoring mark of 56 points, set by LeBron James against the Toronto Raptors on March 3, 2005.[55]

Irving helped the Cavaliers win 34 of their final 43 games to finish the regular season as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 53-29 overall record.[56] In his first career playoff game on April 19, Irving scored 30 points in a 113-100 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their first-round playoff match-up.[57]

International career

Irving with Team USA at the 2014 World Basketball Festival

Irving was a member of the USA basketball team that competed in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He helped lead Team USA to the gold medal and was subsequently named tournament MVP. He started all nine games in the tournament, averaging 12.1 points and 3.6 assists including 26 points in the gold-medal game. Irving was then named the 2014 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year.[58]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011–12 Cleveland 51 51 30.5 .469 .399 .872 3.7 5.4 1.1 .4 18.5
2012–13 Cleveland 59 59 34.7 .452 .391 .855 3.7 5.9 1.5 .4 22.5
2013–14 Cleveland 71 71 35.2 .430 .358 .861 3.6 6.1 1.5 .3 20.8
2014–15 Cleveland 75 75 36.4 .468 .415 .863 3.2 5.2 1.5 .3 21.7
Career 256 256 34.5 .454 .390 .862 3.5 5.7 1.4 .3 21.0
All-Star 3 1 25.7 .649 .444 1.000 4.7 7.7 .0 .0 19.0

Personal life

Irving enjoys reading and keeping a journal.[4] He also likes to sing, dance, and play the baritone sax. His godfather is former NBA player Rod Strickland.[7]

In May 2011, Irving made a promise to his father to finish his bachelor's degree at Duke within five years.[59]

In 2012, he took on the role of "Uncle Drew" in a series of Pepsi Max advertisements.[60][61] He wrote and directed episode 3, in which he starred alongside Nate Robinson and Maya Moore.[62] In the same year, he appeared on an episode of the Disney XD series Kickin' It.[63]

Awards and honors

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Appleman, Jake (February 29, 2012). "Cavs’ Irving, a No. 1 Pick, Is Exceeding Expectations". NYTimes.com. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  2. ↑ Kyrie Irving Bio, accessed August 19, 2013.
  3. ↑ For Kyrie and Dred Irving, a long, winding road took them to a magical draft night (and the Cleveland Cavaliers)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Kyrie Irving Bio - Duke University". Duke Sports Information. May 16, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Kyrie Irving is Committed to the Red, White and Blue". USA Basketball. June 21, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Spears, Marc (June 17, 2011). "Irving rewards father’s perseverance". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Boyer, Mary (May 31, 2011). "Kyrie Irving wants to remain normal, but Cleveland Cavaliers' potential No. 1 pick is anything but, say coaches, teammates". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 "2010 USA Junior National Select Team Media Guide" (PDF). USA Basketball. April 7, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Zagoria, Adam (January 19, 2009). "Kyrie Irving ready to return after wait period". RivalsHigh (Yahoo! Sports). Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  10. ↑ "2011 Prospect Rating - Top 150". Rivals.com. November 11, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  11. ↑ "College Basketball Team Recruiting Prospects". Scout.com. 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  12. ↑ Huff, Doug (February 22, 2010). "St. Patrick banned from state tourney". ESPNRise.com. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  13. ↑ Ceglinsky, Sean (January 20, 2010). "It’s the USA Against Everyone Else". Slam Online. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Kyrie Irving Selected For McDonald’s All-American Game". Duke Sports Information. February 12, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Harrison Barnes And Kyrie Irving Named Co-MVPs Of The 2010 Jordan Brand Classic". TheStreet.com. April 18, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Irving & Hairston Win Gold With USA U18 Team". USA Basketball. July 1, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  17. ↑ "College Basketball Team Recruiting Prospects". Scout.com. 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Recruiting Database - 2010 ESPN 100". ESPN. 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Rivals 150 - 2010 Prospect Ranking". Rivals.com. 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Recruiting Database - 2010 ESPN Top Point Guards". ESPN. 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  21. ↑ Riggs, Randy. "Irving picks Duke over Aggies, Kentucky". Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  22. ↑ "Duke guard Kyrie Irving out indefinitely with toe injury". usatoday.com. Associated Press. December 9, 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  23. ↑ Kirk, Jason. "Kyrie Irving Could Return To Play In NCAA Tournament First Round Vs. Hampton". sbnation.com. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  24. ↑ Hall, Tim. "Irving says toe feels good, could play in NCAA". wralsportsfan.com. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  25. ↑ "Derrick Williams, Arizona crush Duke's hopes to repeat as champions". ESPN. Associated Press. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  26. ↑ "Cleveland Cavaliers select Kyrie Irving as first overall pick in NBA draft". Guardian (London). 24 June 2005. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  27. ↑ Hoffman, Benjamin (23 June 2011). "In Draft Considered Low Impact, Cavaliers Choose Duke’s Irving First". New York Times. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  28. ↑ Irving steals Rising Stars Challenge as Lin goes silent. Usatoday.com (2012-02-24). Retrieved on 2012-05-05.
  29. ↑ Boyer, Mary Schmitt (May 15, 2012). "Early failure set path to Rookie of the Year success for Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  30. ↑ "Irving, Rubio headline 2011–12 NBA All-Rookie First Team". Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  31. ↑ "Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving named Kia Rookie of the Year" (Press release). NBA. May 15, 2012. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Cavaliers' Irving breaks right hand after slapped padding on wall". SportsIllustrated.CNN.com. AP. July 14, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  33. ↑ Boyer, Mary Schmitt (July 14, 2012). "Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving fractures hand in summer league workout". The Plain Dealer (Cleveland.com). Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  34. ↑ "Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving to have hand surgery Wednesday – ESPN". Espn.go.com. 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  35. ↑ ESPN.com Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  36. ↑ "Kyrie Irving drops career-high 41, but Cavs fall to Knicks." ESPN.com Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  37. ↑ basketballreference.com, 2013 NBA All-Star Game Box Score, accessed July 22, 2013.
  38. ↑ "Team Shaq at Team Chuck".
  39. ↑ nba.com Irving wins Foot Locker Three-Point Contest , accessed July 22, 2013.
  40. ↑ espn.com, Kyrie Irving Stats, accessed July 22, 2013.
  41. ↑ Curry starts in first All-Star Game; LeBron top vote-getter
  42. ↑ East gets by Durant, Griffin to win All-Star game
  43. ↑ Notebook: Cavaliers 99, Jazz 79
  44. ↑ Notebook: Bobcats 96, Cavaliers 94 (OT)
  45. ↑ Kyrie Irving Scores a Career-High 44 Points!
  46. ↑ Cavaliers and Kyrie Irving Sign Contract Extension
  47. ↑ Cavs announce Kyrie Irving extension
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 Kyrie Irving 2014-15 Game Log
  49. ↑ Love, Cavs beat Hornets 91-87, snap 3-game skid
  50. ↑ Kyrie Irving has back tightness
  51. ↑ Howard, Harden push Rockets past LeBron-less Cavs 105-93
  52. ↑ Irving scores 55 as Cavs win 8th in a row minus LeBron
  53. ↑ Kyrie Irving drops a career-high 57 points to lead Cavaliers over Spurs in overtime
  54. ↑ "Kyrie Irving scores 57 in leading Cavs to OT win over Spurs". ESPN.com. March 12, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  55. ↑ Kyrie Irving scores 57 points, Cavs beat Spurs 128-125 in OT
  56. ↑ Cleveland Cavaliers open postseason as odds on favorite to win the Eastern Conference, Las Vegas says
  57. ↑ "Big 3" lead Cavaliers past Celtics 113-100 in Game 1
  58. ↑ "Kyrie Irving lauded by Team USA". ESPN.com. December 21, 2014. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014.
  59. ↑ Leung, Diamond (May 19, 2011). "Kyrie Irving plans on degree in five years". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  60. ↑ "Kyrie Irving Reveals 'Uncle Drew' Inspiration". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  61. ↑ "Love Appears In Successful "Uncle Drew" Series". NBA. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  62. ↑ Pepsi Max and Kyrie Irving Present Uncle Drew Chapter 3
  63. ↑ Irving on Disney show, return of his 'uncle'

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kyrie Irving.