Kyrie Irving, apart from being one of the best basketball players of his generation, is also extremely vocal about social issues. Irving is highly active on social media and often uses his platform to comment on issues closest to him. Recently, the Dallas Mavericks’ star posted a series of Instagram stories that served as perfect evidence of his controversial takes on social issues.
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His latest post included an iconic Michael Jordan training image in which he was wearing a Malcolm X t-shirt. Irving shared a range of pictures related to art and history and including a cryptic post about being reborn and shaping one’s identity and vision.
Kyrie Irving’s latest Instagram post also includes a historic Michael Jordan image
Irving shared a series of images that give fans an idea about the kind of art that he likes. Jordan and Magic Johnson had helped finance Spike Lee’s movie, “Malcolm X,” alongside the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby.
Jordan, as a result, was heavily involved in the promotion of the movie and was thus sporting the t-short during training. Malcolm X played a key role in the Civil Rights movement and is celebrated by black people around the world. His T-Shirt read, “We want our 40 Acres and a Mule” pointing towards the historical fight for racial equality.
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Kyrie Irving’s post also included a range of other pictures, including those focused on child freedom, politics, crime, and art in general. Irving, who has been an outspoken black rights activist, also posted the caption “I love art,” along with the images.
Kyrie Irving and Michael Jordan represent two varying approaches as black NBA stars
Jordan was one of the most, if not the first, truly global NBA icons, regardless of skin color. He came at a time when the US was still dealing with obvious issues related to racism.
Yet, Jordan generally showed a cautious approach despite letting the media know of his views. Back in 2016, Jordan had accepted the existence of his perceived silence and claimed he does not want to be silent about issues that are closest to him, anymore, according to Andscape.
Irving on the other hand, has taken a firmly different approach in recent years. Kyrie Irving has generally not let any opportunity to speak about his thoughts about important issues pass him by.
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He is a hugely controversial figure and often finds himself at crossroads with the media. Irving’s approach is more in line with the modern NBA, even though there are a range of differences in which he approaches media when compared to Michael Jordan. However, in their own ways, both the players have been determined to speak about important issues with Irving’s approach being more angry, in general.