Kyrie Irving is one of the best point guards in the league (controversy aside), and his career all starter from his time in Duke, perhaps the best basketball school in the country.
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Kyrie Irving created perhaps the most unique situation in the NBA when he refused to take the Covid-19 vaccine, making him only eligible for away games.
The state of New York requires that players be vaccinated to play in the state, and thus, as a result, Kyrie Irving can’t play in Brookly since he hasn’t taken the vaccine.
Why hasn’t he done so? “I am doing what’s best for me. I know the consequences here and if it means that I’m judged and demonized for that, that’s just what it is,” Irving would explain. “That’s the role I play, but I never wanted to give up my passion, my love, my dream just over this mandate.”
Irving did eventually make his return, scoring 22 points in a comeback bid against the Indiana Pacers.
22 points for Kyrie Irving in his season debut, helping lead the @BrooklynNets comeback! pic.twitter.com/z0XsJvsr5v
— NBA (@NBA) January 6, 2022
Seth Curry knew Kyrie Irving was going to be a #1 pick from the moment he entered Duke
Kyrie wasn’t the only current NBA player who played for Duke in the 2010-11 season. Current 76ers guard Seth Curry was also a member of that Blue Devils team, and he recalls how he saw #1 pick potential in Kyrie right away.
Irving missed a large part of that campaign with toe injury on his right foot. In fact, he only played a total of 11 games out of 37 possible starts.
However, he was sensational in those 11 games. Irving would score in double figures in all 11 of those games, scoring 20 points or more in three games along with a 30 point outing. Curry learnt a lot from his days in Duke, playing against and with the top competition in the country in his age group. He also remembers vividly how dominant Irving looked in scrimmages.
Sometimes, a player will walk on to the court and you’ll immediately know if they’re #1 pick ppotential and Seth Curry saw it right away with Kyrie. You can watch Curry discuss his Duke days in the following video where he also discusses how it was being undrafted.
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