NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller reminiscences Kyrie Irving getting traded to the Boston Celtics while shooting Uncle Drew.
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Reggie Miller had the opportunity of being with Kyrie Irving when the latter got traded from the Cavaliers to the Celtics. Miller wasn’t the only one present during the breaking news, adding Chris Webber and Shaquille O’Neal were on the sets when the news broke out.
The reason behind these NBA superstars assembling was the shooting of the film Uncle Drew. The sports comedy starred Irving in the lead, with Shaq, C-Webb, and Miller playing key roles. The light-hearted movie was an extension of Irving’s character in the Pepsi Max commercials.
The advertisements would have Irving visit parks and open grounds to play pickup games. The twist being Irving disguised as an elderly gentleman. The seven-time All-Star would first fumble with the ball, intentionally making clumsy moves. Nevertheless, Uncle Drew would soon turn into the basketball magician known as Kyrie Irving, having the crowds in complete disbelief.
During a recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Miller narrated being with Irving on the news of him getting shipped to Boston.
Reggie Miller recalls the news of Kyrie Irving being traded to the Cs breaking out.
The 2016-17 season marked Irving’s last season with the Cavaliers, a team that drafted him. According to reports, the former ROTY didn’t want to play under the shadow of LeBron James. Thus post losing to the Kevin Durant-led Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals, Irving wanted out.
Though LBJ and the front office tried convincing him, Irving would muscle his way out, landing in Boston. Interestingly, the former champion was shooting for his film, Uncle Drew, when he learned about the trade.
Miller, who was a part of the movie, narrated the moment Irving realized he was a Celtic.
“It was Shaq, myself, C-Webb, and Kyrie, and we’re getting ready to do our van scene, and we all had our phones underneath like one of the pillows there, and they all went off at the same time. And then we all looked at it, and then we all looked at him, and he just started shaking his head. He’s like, ‘Okay, well I guess I’m going to Boston.’ And we were like okay, let’s do this.”
Unfortunately, Irving’s stint with the Celtics didn’t go as planned, with rumors of alleged rifts with teammates and the front office. Irving would then sign with the Nets in the 2019 free agency.
Miller concluded by saying he hoped there was a sequel to the box office hit.
