Short answers, pulled from the story.
Kyrie Irving won the NBA championship in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors 4-3 in the Finals, completing the first 3-1 comeback in NBA Finals history. Irving hit the decisive three-pointer with 53 seconds remaining in Game 7.
The Nets suspended Irving without pay for at least five games on the 3rd of November 2022, citing his failure to unequivocally denounce antisemitism after he tweeted a link to the film Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America. The film contains Holocaust denial, quotes attributed to Adolf Hitler and Henry Ford, and antisemitic conspiracy theories. The NBA and the Anti-Defamation League both criticized Irving's response.
Kyrie Irving was born on the 23rd of March 1992 in Melbourne, Australia. His parents were American expatriates; his father, Drederick Irving, had moved to Australia to play professionally for the Bulleen Boomers. The family relocated to the United States when Kyrie was two years old, and he grew up in West Orange, New Jersey.
During the 2020-21 NBA season with the Brooklyn Nets, Irving shot 50.6% from the field, 40.2% from three-point range, and 92.2% from the free throw line, becoming the ninth player in NBA history to join the 50-40-90 club. He was only the fourth player to average more than 25 points per game while achieving those percentages, alongside Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Larry Bird.
Irving missed the majority of the 2021-22 season because he refused to comply with New York City's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which barred unvaccinated players from home games at Barclays Center. The Nets initially ruled him ineligible to play or practice with the team in October 2021. He returned in December 2021 as a part-time player for away games only.
Irving tore his ACL in the first quarter of a game against the Sacramento Kings on the 3rd of March 2025. The injury ended his season with the Dallas Mavericks and put his availability for the 2025-26 season in doubt. In February 2026, he was ruled out for the remainder of that season as well while continuing his recovery.