Kyrie Irving
![]() Irving with the Cavaliers | |
No. 2 – Cleveland Cavaliers | |
---|---|
Position | Point guard |
League | National Basketball Association |
Personal information | |
Born | Melbourne, Australia | March 23, 1992
Nationality | Australian / American |
Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
Listed weight | 191 lb (87 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | St. Patrick (Elizabeth, New Jersey) |
College | Duke (2010–2011) |
NBA draft | 2011: 1st round, 1st overall pick |
Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers | |
Playing career | 2011–present |
Career history | |
2011–present | Cleveland Cavaliers |
Career highlights and awards | |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Kyrie Irving (born March 23, 1992) is an Australian-American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He started at point guard for Duke University as a freshman before being selected as the 1st overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by Cleveland. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2012. Irving was born in Melbourne, Australia and grew up in New Jersey.
Early life
Irving was born in Melbourne, Australia where his father, Drederick Irving, played professional basketball for the Bulleen Boomers. Irving lived in Australia before relocating to the United States at the age of 2. He has dual citizenship in the United States and Australia.[1] Irving's mother, Elizabeth, died from an illness when he was four, so Drederick raised him with the help of Irving's aunts.[2] Growing up in West Orange, New Jersey,[3] Irving was a fan of the New Jersey Nets. His father took him and his sister to Continental Airlines Arena during the 2003 NBA Finals.[4]
High school career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Kyrie_Irving.jpg/200px-Kyrie_Irving.jpg)
Kyrie Irving played for Montclair Kimberley Academy his freshman and sophomore years, where 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, before transferring to St. Patrick High School.[5] While at St. Patrick, Irving played with Michael Gilchrist, who was widely regarded as one of the best players in the class of 2011.[6][7] On January 20, 2010, it was announced that 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] He was also selected to play in the 2010 McDonald's All-American Game[9] and the 2010 Jordan Brand Classic, where he was named as co-MVP with Harrison Barnes.[10] In June 2010 Irving was a part of the gold medal winning team at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship.[11] Irving was the #2 player in the class of 2010 by Scout.com,[12] #3 player in the ESPNU 100,[13] and rated as the #4 player by Rivals.com.[14]
College career
Irving committed to Duke on October 22, 2009, in a television broadcast on ESPNU.[15] Irving started playing with Duke in the 2010–11 basketball season under the guidance of head coach Mike Krzyzewski. He led the team in scoring at 17.4 points per game on 53.2% shooting through the first eight games of the season. In addition, he added 5.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game as he quickly began to make his case for NCAA Freshman of the Year.
In Duke's 9th game of the season, Irving suffered a severe ligament injury in his right big toe that sidelined him indefinitely.[16] His right foot was placed in a cast on December 10, 2010. The cast was removed on February 4, 2011, and Irving began rehab.[17]
On March 17, the day before Duke played Hampton in the first round of the NCAA tournament, it was revealed that Kyrie would return for his first game since December 4. It was announced that he would come off of the bench and play limited minutes.[18][19]
Duke lost to Arizona in the Sweet Sixteen. Irving scored 28 points in what turned out to be his last game for Duke.[20]
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 (2011–present)
Irving announced that he would forgo his final three seasons of eligibility and enter the 2011 NBA Draft where he was the number 1 pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers.[21][22] He signed an agent in early May 2011.[23] Irving signed a contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers alongside rookie teammate Tristan Thompson on December 10, 2011.
Irving got off to a fast start, and through twenty-three games, had ten games with 20+ points, including a loss to the Nets in which he had 32 points. In that game, Irving scored 21 points in the fourth quarter alone.
Both Irving and his teammate Thompson were named to the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge. However, Irving played for Team Chuck, while Thompson played for Team Shaq. Irving scored 34 points in the game, earning MVP honors.[24] Irving won the 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, receiving 117 of a possible 120 first-place votes.[25] Irving was also the only unanimous selection to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.[26] Over the season, he averaged 18.5 points, 5.4 assists and shot .469 from the field and .399 on three-pointers.[27]
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.[28] "I am a little disappointed," remarked Irving. "I have to be more responsible about my health. It was just crazy. It happened so fast."[28] It was announced that Irving would require surgery on July 18th to repair the hand.[29] [30]
2012-13
Irving injured his index finger on November 17 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. [31]
In his second game back against the New York Knicks on December 15, Irving scored a career-high 41 points along with five rebounds and five assists while wearing a black protective face mask, having broken a bone on a hard fall against Milwaukee. Irving became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40 points in Madison Square Garden as he was a year younger than when Michael Jordan did it in 1985. [32]
NBA career statistics
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 |
- Correct as of January 17, 2013
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 | 0.4 | 18.5 |
2012–13 | Cleveland | 30 | 30 | 35.7 | .463 | .405 | .832 | 3.6 | 5.6 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 23.5 |
Career | 81 | 81 | 32.5 | .467 | .407 | .854 | 3.8 | 5.5 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 20.3 |
Off the court
Irving has made a promise to his father that he would finish his bachelor's degree at Duke by taking classes during the next few summers.[33] In 2012, he took on the role of "Uncle Drew" in a series of Pepsi Max advertisements.[34][35] In the same year, he appeared on an episode of the Disney XD series Kickin' It.[36]
Awards and honors
- 2010 McDonald's All-American team selection
- 2010 Nike Hoop Summit All-American team selection
- 2010 Jordan Brand High School All-American team selection
- 2011 NBA Draft 1st Overall Draft Pick
- 2011–12 NBA Rookie of the Month, December, January, February, March
- 2012 Rising Stars Challenge MVP
- 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year Award
- 2012 NBA All-Rookie First Team
References
- ^ "Kyrie Irving is Committed to the Red, White and Blue". USA Basketball. 2010-06-21. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ Irving rewards father's perseverance on Yahoo! Sports; Spears, Marc (June 17, 2011)
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/01/sports/basketball/kyrie-irving-of-cavaliers-is-exceeding-expectations.html?_r=0
- ^ "New Jersey Nets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – Recap – January 01, 2012 – ESPN". Scores.espn.go.com. 2012-01-01. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ Adam ZagoriaSpecial to Rivals High. "Rivals High – Kyrie Irving ready to return after wait period". Highschool.rivals.com. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ "Yahoo Sports: Rivals.com Ranking – Rivals150 for the class of 2011". Rivals.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ "Scout.com: Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scouthoops.scout.com. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ "It's the USA Against Everyone Else". Slam Online. 2010-01-20.
{{cite web}}
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(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Kyrie Irving Selected For McDonald's All-American Game – Duke University Blue Devils | Official Athletics Site". GoDuke.com. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ "MarketWatch.com". MarketWatch.com. 2010-04-18. Retrieved 2010-08-26.[dead link]
- ^ "Irving & Hairston Win Gold With USA U18 Team – Duke University Blue Devils | Official Athletics Site". GoDuke.com. 2010-07-01. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ "Scout.com: Basketball Recruiting". Scouthoops.scout.com. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ "College Basketball Recruiting – ESPNU 100 – ESPN". Insider.espn.go.com. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ "Yahoo Sports: Rivals.com Ranking – Rivals150 for class of 2010". Rivalshoops.rivals.com. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ Riggs, Randy. "Irving picks Duke over Aggies, Kentucky". Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ "Duke guard Kyrie Irving out indefinitely with toe injury". usatoday.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ DeCourcy, Mike. "Duke's Kyrie Irving will have injured right toe examined next week". aol.sportingnews.com. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ Kirk, Jason. "Kyrie Irving Could Return To Play In NCAA Tournament First Round Vs. Hampton". sbnation.com. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ Hall, Tim. "Irving says toe feels good, could play in NCAA". wralsportsfan.com. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ "Derrick Williams, Arizona crush Duke's hopes to repeat as champions". ESPN. Associated Press. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ "Cleveland Cavaliers select Kyrie Irving as first overall pick in NBA draft". Guardian. 24 June 2005. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ "In Draft Considered Low Impact, Cavaliers Choose Duke's Irving First". New York Times. 23 June 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ "Kyrie Irving entering NBA draft". ESPN.com. April 6, 2011.
- ^ Irving steals Rising Stars Challenge as Lin goes silent. Usatoday.com (2012-02-24). Retrieved on 2012-05-05.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Irving, Rubio headline 2011-12 NBA All-Rookie First Team". Retrieved 23 May 2012.
- ^ "Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving named Kia Rookie of the Year" (Press release). NBA. May 15, 2012. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012.
- ^ a b "Cavaliers' Irving breaks right hand after slapped padding on wall". SportsIllustrated.CNN.com. AP. July 14, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
- ^ 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.
- ^ http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8171837/cleveland-cavaliers-kyrie-irving-hand-surgery-wednesday
- ^ ESPN.com Retrieved 2012-11-19.
- ^ "Kyrie Irving drops career-high 41, but Cavs fall to Knicks." ESPN.com Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ^ Eisenberg, Jeff (May 20, 2011). "Kyrie Irving intends to finish his college degree in five years". Yahoo! Sports.
- ^ "Kyrie Irving Reveals 'Uncle Drew' Inspiration". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- ^ "Love Appears In Successful "Uncle Drew" Series". NBA. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- ^ Irving on Disney show, return of his 'uncle'
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- Official Facebook Page
- Duke biography
- NBADraft.net profile
- Scout.com profile
- Rivals.com profile
- MaxPreps profile
- 1992 births
- Living people
- African-American basketball players
- Australian basketball players
- Australian people of American descent
- Basketball players from New Jersey
- Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks
- Cleveland Cavaliers players
- Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players
- McDonald's High School All-Americans
- Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
- Point guards
- Sportspeople from Melbourne