Kyrie Irving is one of the premier talents in the NBA. While he does have a controversial personality, there can be no denying his ability on the court. Known for his insane handles and layups, Kyrie is among the best guards in the league. However, his journey to becoming the best wasn’t easy. And, as his former teammate, Iman Shumpert, whom he won the 2016 NBA Finals with revealed on the All the Smoke podcast, he developed his incredible layup skills by working with a broken backboard.
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Over the years, several great finishers have passed through the ranks in the NBA. The incredible big men aside, Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, Tony Parker, and Stephen Curry are some point guards that come to mind. But, many agree that Irving is a cut above the rest. And, given how he trained, it’s not that surprising.
Iman Shumpert reveals how Kyrie Irving has one of the most insane layup packages in the NBA
Ever since he was drafted back in 2011, Kyrie Irving has been wowing the NBA and its fans with his tight handles and silky-smooth finishing. He is undoubtedly one of the most skilled players in the league today. His handles and finishing aside, Kyrie is also a great playmaker and shooter. Overall an amazing superstar through and through.
But, how did he reach this level of greatness? Well, recently, his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate, Iman Shumpert shared a story of Kyrie’s rise to the top. And, it all has to do with his upbringing and the struggles he went through.
As Shumpert pointed out, Kyrie’s layup package is exceptional. His ability to twist the ball off at different angles, all while driving to the rim and having defenders hounding you is amazing. However, all that is only possible because Uncle Drew grew up playing with a rim that had a backboard with missing pieces. As such, he had to learn where to lay the ball off in order to get it through the net.
“What y’all don’t get to see is…him explain to you that he grew up playing on a rim that was missing pieces on the backboard. So, that’s how he learned those weird angles to twist the ball off, because his backboard was missing pieces. So, picture going up to the rim this way…and…you have no backboard to finish, now that somebody is on your arm! So he learned how to look forward..spin it…to where it could hit the left side and go into the right. Because he don’t have a backboard to put it on the other side. I’m like ‘Dawg! That’s insane!'”
It truly is sensational just how far Kyrie has come since laying off balls on a broken backboard. Now, he is an NBA Champion, an All-NBA caliber point guard, and a perennial All-Star. A player who will go down as an all-time great.
Kyrie is inspiring the next generation of ballers with his handles as well
Kyrie Irving’s layup package is astounding, but it isn’t the only thing he has in his bag of tricks. Putting it aside, most aspiring basketball players these days look to Kyrie for his amazing handles. He is a wizard with the ball in his hands and has earned a reputation for himself as an elite ball handler.
Nowadays, Kyrie is remembered more for his eccentric persona. But, at the end of the day, it’s safe to say that he is a top player in the sport of basketball.
