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Kyrie Irving has been a controversial figure in the NBA, primarily because of his outlandish thoughts and actions off the court. However, some of his crazy thinking has also made its way onto the basketball court.
For most pro athletes, what jersey number they wear is very important to them. Some wear numbers to honor friends or loved ones, while others get emotionally attached to certain digits over the years.
During his career, Kyrie Irving has worn multiple jersey numbers. After being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, he wore No. 2. Since then, he's worn No. 11 for the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets.
When asked why he wears 11, Kyrie Irving had a rather simple answer. It was the number his father wore while playing for Boston University. The former No. 1 pick also wore 11 during his lone college season at Duke University.
Kyrie Irving is deeply connected to his jersey number
While Kyrie Irving wears No. 11 for his father, his connection to the digits runs much deeper than that. During the Brooklyn Nets' matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, a sideline reporter dove into all the different factors in the number.
"He was born at 1:11, his dad wore No. 11 when he played college ball at Boston University, Kyrie Irving is exactly 11 letters long. Even the letter K is the 11th letter of the alphabet. And after playing a total of 11 games at Duke due to injury, he was drafted pick one of round one in 2011. Even scored his 11,000th point on the 11th of March!"
Some might consider this a bit excessive, but it will make for a great trivia question.
Why didn't Irving wear No. 11 with the Cavaliers?
Seeing as how important the number is to him, it's interesting that he didn't wear it to start his NBA career. For a simple answer, he likely couldn't.
While the number wasn't retired when the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him in 2011, it was probably in the works. Zydrunas Ilgauskas spent 12 years with the franchise as a player and joined the front office as an assistant after retirement.
In 2014, the Cavaliers finally put his No. 11 into the rafters. During his tenure, he averaged 13.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. Ilgauskas is also the franchise leader in blocked shots (1,269).
Irving likely wanted to wear 11 for the Cavs, but seeing that the number was going up in the rafters, he may not have had the option.
