Road to Duke
Kyrie Andrew Irving was born March 23, 1992, in Melbourne, Australia. His parents, Drederick and Elizabeth Irving, were American expatriates. Drederick had played college basketball at Boston University, a steady scoring guard who averaged nearly 20 points as a senior and led the Terriers to a conference championship. After college, he moved his young family to Australia to play for the Bulleen Boomers. Kyrie was born in Melbourne and lived in the suburb of Kew until he was two. He holds dual American and Australian citizenship.
His mother, Elizabeth Ann Larson Irving, was African American and a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, of Lakota heritage. She had played basketball and volleyball at Boston University, where she met Drederick. Elizabeth died of an illness when Kyrie was four. She was twenty-nine. Drederick raised Kyrie and his older sister Asia with the help of Irving’s aunts, brought them back to the United States, and settled in West Orange, New Jersey. Everything he had dreamed for himself, he poured into his son.
Kyrie grew up watching Drederick’s adult-league games. His father parked Asia’s carriage at the end of the bench. Kyrie didn’t play with the other kids — he watched. In fifth grade, he attended a camp at Boston University and the head coach offered him a scholarship on the spot. He was ten years old. But the defining moment came in fourth grade, when his school visited Continental Airlines Arena. Kyrie played on the court during the trip and wrote on a piece of paper: I will play in the NBA, I promise.
He attended Montclair Kimberley Academy, a small private school, and became only the second 1,000-point scorer in school history: 26.5 PPG, 10.3 APG, 4.8 RPG, 3.6 SPG. Spectacular on the floor, invisible to the national rankings. His father believed he wasn’t getting the exposure he deserved.
Before his junior year, Kyrie transferred to St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth — a basketball powerhouse. On his first day, his host spotted him in the hallway: an untucked uniform two sizes too big, a mismatched vest, and two G-Shock watches on the same wrist. Then came the pickup game. Kyrie was shy at first. Then he threw the ball through a defender’s legs, ran after it, pulled back, and shot. The gym went quiet.
At St. Patrick, he played alongside Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. They led the team to a state championship. Senior year, the school was banned from the Tournament of Champions after an illegal preseason practice was caught on tape. Irving cried when he heard the news. That night he scored 28 against Oak Hill. He also performed in the school’s production of High School Musical. McDonald’s All-American. Jordan Brand Classic Co-MVP. FIBA Americas U18 gold. He committed to Duke on October 22, 2009, on live television.
His father told him in eighth grade he’d be the best guard in New Jersey. Coach K saw him in an AAU tournament and said: you are single-handedly killing all these teams. If you are fortunate to have a father like I have, Kyrie would later say, you’re given a foundation. You can be content with that, or take it and run with it, like I did.
At Duke
Kyrie Irving played eleven games at Duke. Eleven. It was enough. Through the first eight games of 2010–11, he averaged 17.4 points on 53.2% shooting, 5.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals. He was the best freshman point guard in America. On December 1, he scored 31 against Michigan State — one of the most electrifying individual Duke freshman performances in decades.
Then, in the ninth game, he suffered a severe ligament injury to his right big toe. He missed the next twenty-six games. Duke’s season went on without him, and his absence was felt in every possession.
He returned March 17, the day before Duke’s first-round tournament game against Hampton. He scored 14 in his comeback, then 28 against Michigan in the second round — his final game in a Duke uniform. Duke lost to Arizona in the Sweet Sixteen.
Irving declared for the 2011 draft: "Duke has a special place in my heart. Even though I’m leaving this year, Duke will always be in my mind and my heart. I’m going to miss putting on that number one jersey." He promised his father he would finish his bachelor’s degree within five years.
Eleven games. 17.5 PPG, 4.3 APG, 3.4 RPG. 52.9% from the field, 46.2% from three. The shortest Duke career that ever produced a number-one overall pick. And arguably the most purely talented guard to ever wear Duke blue.
After Duke
Cleveland selected Irving first overall in 2011. He was nineteen. Rookie of the Year. Rising Stars MVP (8-of-8 from three, 34 points). Youngest player to score 40 at Madison Square Garden — younger than Jordan when he did it. All-Star Game MVP in 2014.
LeBron came home. The Big Three — James, Love, Irving — reached the 2015 Finals, but Irving fractured his kneecap in the opener against Golden State. He watched from the sideline as Cleveland lost. He came back in 2015–16 determined to finish what was taken.
Game 7, 2016 NBA Finals. Cleveland at Golden State. The Warriors had won 73 regular-season games. The Cavaliers trailed 3–1 in the series. With 53 seconds remaining, the cumulative score of the entire Finals — through 335+ minutes — was 699–699. Irving caught the ball on the right wing. Curry switched onto him. Irving jabbed, gave him an in-and-out, created a half-step of space, and rose for a step-back three over the two-time MVP. It went in. Cleveland won 93–89. The franchise’s first championship in fifty-two years. The Wall Street Journal called it the biggest shot in NBA history. Irving hugged LeBron. He hugged his coach. He found his father and sister and gave them his jersey.
Then the wandering. Trade request in 2017 — tired of LeBron’s shadow — dealt to Boston. Knee surgery, turbulent exit. Brooklyn: three seasons with Kevin Durant, derailed by injuries, a vaccination refusal, an antisemitism controversy and suspension. Dallas: a February 2023 trade that rejuvenated his career. In 2023–24, Irving and Luka Dončić led the Mavericks to the Finals, losing to Boston in five.
Fifteen seasons. Nine All-Star selections. Three All-NBA Teams. A championship. An Olympic gold. Career averages of ~23 PPG, 5.7 APG. The Uncle Drew Pepsi character that became a feature film. The best ball-handler many have ever seen. And always the complications: flat-earth comments, controversies, absences, restlessness. Kyrie Irving has never been simple. His talent has never been in question.
Where Is He Now
In August 2018, Kyrie Irving traveled to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. His mother Elizabeth had been born into the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. In a naming ceremony, Irving received the Lakota name Hĕla — Little Mountain. He donated food and supplies and has returned multiple times. He named his daughter Azurie Elizabeth, after the mother he lost at four.
On March 3, 2025, Irving tore the ACL in his left knee in the first quarter against Sacramento. Surgery on March 26. In February 2026, the Mavericks announced he would miss the entire 2025–26 season — the first full season he’s missed in fifteen years. He’s targeting 2026–27. His stepmother and agent, Shetellia Riley Irving, said the priority is making sure Kyrie is one thousand percent. Irving, now thirty-three, is mentoring Cooper Flagg, the Mavericks’ rookie — the next Duke Brotherhood member to carry the franchise.
He was born in Melbourne and lost his mother at four. His father raised him alone and taught him to want more. He wrote in fourth grade: I will play in the NBA, I promise. He showed up at St. Patrick’s in a uniform two sizes too big and two watches on one wrist. He played eleven games at Duke and was drafted first. He won a championship with a three over Curry when the cumulative Finals score was tied. He went to Standing Rock and received a name in his mother’s language. He has played for five teams, been suspended, celebrated, booed, brilliant, maddening, and undeniably one of the most gifted basketball players who has ever lived. He is recovering from a torn ACL. He is mentoring a nineteen-year-old from Maine. He promised his father he would finish his degree. He named his daughter after the mother he barely knew. Little Mountain is still climbing.