10 under-the-radar facts about Birthday Boy Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving is one of the most recognizable faces in the NBA. He's one of the few players to have ever left a team consisting of LeBron James while at his prime and delivering at peak performance - he's certainly the only superstar sidekick who's done that.

He's been this good for so long, it is easy to forget that today is just his 26th birthday - Kyrie could be in this league for at least 10 more years. Right from his rookie season, Irving has put the basketball world on notice with his unfathomable skill - particularly at driving into the paint and laying it up.

While it is a well-known fact that Kyrie is perhaps the best clutch player in today's NBA and that he's got the best handles in the league, there are a number of facts about Kyrie's life that has gone relatively under the radar.

Here is a list of 10 facts that NBA diehards should know about Uncle Drew:

#10 His godfather is Rod Strickland, an NBA player for 17 years

Kings V Wizards — Strickland in action for the Washington Wizards

Rod Strickland is an unknown name for basketball fans of today's generation. At his peak, however, Strickland could dish it out at a level comparable to the very best point guards of the 1990s - he led the league in assists per game for the 1997-98 season and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, beating off competition from the likes of all-time great John Stockton.

Strickland and Kyrie Irving's father Drederick were bosom friends since their childhood days in Bronx. They played together in the projects, often breaking their way into the local gym to practice late into the night after the regular players had made their way home and the gym was officially closed.

#9 Sporting excellence runs in Kyrie's blood

Kyrie Irving with his dad (Image courtesy: complex.com)

Kyrie Irving's father, Drederick Irving, was a basketball professional for a number of years. He is second in the Boston University's all-time scoring chart with 1931 career points (Rod Strickland is first). Drederick tried out (unsuccessfully) for the Boston Celtics, before moving to Australia and playing for the Bulleen Bloomers.

Kyrie's mother, Elizabeth, was a volleyball player at Boston University. Kyrie's cousin Isaiah Briscoe was a well-scouted Kentucky Wildcat for 2 years, before declaring for the NBA draft in 2017. Briscoe is currently playing professionally for BC Kalev, a pro basketball club in Estonia.

#8 Irving is a pretty good singer

Kyrie's talent with the mic is probably inherited from his mother Elizabeth, who was a classically trained pianist and a part of the local choir ministered by Kyrie's maternal grandfather.

Irving played the saxophone and the trombone while growing up, and later on, he got vocal training and formal instruction in the piano during offseason. Irving loves musicals, and his favourite musical is Rent, a Broadway rock musical written by Jonathan Larson.

#7 He dominated New Jersey high school basketball from 2 different schools

During his freshman and sophomore years in high school, Kyrie played for the Michael Kimberley Academy. He averaged 26.5 points, 10.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 steals and became only the school's second 1000-point scorer. In his sophomore year, he led MKA to its first New Jersey Prep 'B' state championship.

Stating the need to face a new challenge, Kyrie then transferred to St. Patrick High School. Playing with higher competition for starting places, Kyrie averaged 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game in his junior year, en route to leading St. Patrick to their third state title in 4 years. In his senior year, Kyrie upped his game to average 24.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game, while again starring in St. Patrick's Union County championship triumph.

#6 He was selected #1 overall despite playing only 11 games for Duke

Irving committed to play for the Duke Blue Devils in college at the start of his senior year under the tutelage of famed Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski. He got off to a bright start in his Duke career, playing 8 games and starting in 7 of them, while averaging 17.4 points per game on 53.2% shooting, 5.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals.

Disaster struck, however, as in a game against Butler University (who were then coached by future Celtics head coach Brad Stevens), Irving injured his big toe and sat out the majority of the season. While he did appear in 3 games later on in the NCAA tournament, the Blue Devils were knocked out by the Arizona Wildcats.

Scouts, however, noted his ability to score at high volume with great efficiency, and the Cavaliers selected him #1 overall after Irving declared for the NBA draft.

#5 He is the first rookie point guard signed by Nike

Shortly after being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, Kyrie Irving announced via Twitter that he had signed with sportswear giants Nike in an endorsement deal.

It made him the first rookie point guard signed before the commencement of the new season by Nike. Earlier, LeBron James and Kevin Durant, who both play in the small forward role, were offered endorsement deals in their rookie year.

In 2014, Kyrie debuted his first signature sneaker during a Christmas Day game - the Kyrie 1. Ever since 3 more models have been released by Nike.

#4 Irving could have played for Australia in the 2012 Olympics

Irving was born in Australia and holds dual citizenship for both the USA and Australia. At one point (some months before the 2012 Olympics), he was aggressively wooed by Brett Brown, who had coached his father during Drederick's time with the Bulleen Boomers. Irving made the following statements before the London Olympics:

It was a great opportunity and 2016 is a while away, that’s all I’m going to say. It would have been great to go play with guys like Andrew (Bogut), if he was healthy, and Patty (Mills) in London. I’d like to be part of the culture here, do something special for Australian basketball.

Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski stepped in and convinced Irving that he could be the starting point guard for the United States basketball team in the future. Irving did start most games for Team USA later on in the 2014 FIBA World Championship and the 2016 Olympics and won the gold medal on both occasions.

#3 Irving stated on a podcast that he believed the Earth is flat

In what is possibly the biggest PR blunder of his life, in February 2017, Kyrie Irving stated on the Road Trippin' with RJ & Channing podcast that he believed the earth is flat. While his response was met with disbelief and he was peppered by the media during a subsequent press conference, Irving even went on to say that:

I think people should do their own research. I've seen a lot of things that my educational system has said was real that turned out to be completely fake. I don't mind going against the grain in terms of my own thoughts.

His response to the media frenzy even got the likes of NBA commissioner Adam Silver involved. Silver weighed in with the following statement:

As he made clear today, he was trying to be provocative, and I think it was effective. A larger commentary on the so-called fake news debate in our society right now in terms of what's reported, and it led to an interesting conversation. But personally I believe the earth is round.

On an appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show this February, Irving admitted that he got entangled by his words and regretted his statement, and was subsequently given a basketball with the physical map of the earth printed on it by the host.

#2 He is the only current point guard to appear in the All-Star game in his second NBA season

Players like Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, and Chris Paul are arguably better overall point guards than the Celtics #11. Even John Wall, Mike Conley, and Kyle Lowry are generally recognized as better two-way point guards than Irving, whose defensive attitude has been questioned in the past before he mended his ways in a Celtics defense that ranks #1 in the league this season.

But none of these aforementioned were making the kind of waves Irving has since his rookie season. Irving's first season was better than either of Wall's first two. Curry hadn't made a single game-winner by that time. Westbrook had a long way to go before becoming the scoring-playmaking threat he is today. Conley and Lowry were late bloomers.

Only Chris Paul had a shot at becoming an All-Star in his second season, but the sheer level of competition among Western Conference guards meant that he missed the cut.

#1 Irving holds the Cavaliers franchise record for most points scored in a single game

On 14th March 2015, Kyrie Irving played perhaps the best game of his career so far against defending champions San Antonio Spurs. In 47 minutes of game time in a match that went to overtime, Uncle Drew razzled and dazzled his way to 57 points on 20-of-32 shooting, including a perfect 6-of-6 from 3-point territory.

Every time the Spurs made a run, Irving made a hardly believable shot. He put on display his full arsenal of moves that day, with ankle-breaking crossovers through 3 or 4 defenders, long-range excellence and post moves that left his defender helpless. He even made a game-tying, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to tie the game at 110 that left spectators speechless.

Irving's 57 point total for the game, in addition to being the Cavaliers' franchise record for point scored in a game, is also the highest points total by a player in a game against the Spurs. In addition, it holds the record for most points by a player in a game against the defending champions during the 3-point era.