As he was born in Melbourne and has two passports, American and Australian, Kyrie Irving is classified as an “international” player in the annual NBA stats. In a live on Twitch, the Dallas playmaker assures that it could have been even more the case since he explains that he wanted to represent Australia.
“I consider myself an international player even though I played in the United States team”thus released Kyrie Irving. “A lot of my peers laugh at me when I talk about it and some fans don’t agree, but I was born in Australia. Team USA asked me to play for them when I was 17 or 18. I wanted to play for Australia, but it didn’t happen. Coach K didn’t want that to happen either.”
In 2010, when he was 18, Kyrie Irving played in the U18 Americas Championship with the United States, winning the gold medal with five victories in five games.
And even though the playmaker only spent the first two years of his life in Australia, before his family (his father was a professional basketball player with the Bulleen Boomers in Melbourne) returned to the United States, he could well have played for Boomers, who had heavily recruited him to compete in the 2012 Olympics with them.
Just elected Rookie of the Year in Cleveland, Kyrie Irving had long hesitated before rejecting the offer.
“It was the right decision” had then explained the playmaker of the Cavaliers. “I learned that Coach K would still coach the (American) team in 2016. It made my decision much easier, to be able to play for my coach again. That was the determining factor in my choice. »
Kyrie Irving had thus joined the workforce of Team USA for the 2014 World Cup, of which he had also finished MVP, with the gold medal around his neck, before winning Olympic gold with the United States of Mike Krzyzewski, his former coach at Duke, in 2016. For Coach K’s last competition at the head of the selection.
| Kyrie Irving | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2011-12 | KEY | 51 | 31 | 46.9 | 39.9 | 87.2 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 18.5 |
| 2012-13 | KEY | 59 | 35 | 45.2 | 39.1 | 85.5 | 0.6 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 5.9 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 22.5 |
| 2013-14 | KEY | 71 | 35 | 43.0 | 35.8 | 86.1 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 6.1 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 20.8 |
| 2014-15 | KEY | 75 | 36 | 46.8 | 41.5 | 86.3 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 5.2 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 21.7 |
| 2015-16 | KEY | 53 | 32 | 44.8 | 32.2 | 88.5 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 19.6 |
| 2016-17 | KEY | 72 | 35 | 47.3 | 40.1 | 90.5 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 5.8 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 25.2 |
| 2017-18 | BOS | 60 | 32 | 49.1 | 40.8 | 88.9 | 0.6 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 24.4 |
| 2018-19 | BOS | 67 | 33 | 48.7 | 40.1 | 87.3 | 1.1 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 6.9 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 23.8 |
| 2019-20 | BRK | 20 | 33 | 47.8 | 39.4 | 92.2 | 1.1 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 6.4 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 27.4 |
| 2020-21 | BRK | 54 | 35 | 50.6 | 40.2 | 92.2 | 1.0 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 26.9 |
| 2021-22 | BRK | 29 | 38 | 46.9 | 41.8 | 91.5 | 0.6 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 5.8 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 27.5 |
| 2022-23 * | All Teams | 60 | 37 | 49.4 | 37.9 | 90.5 | 1.0 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 27.1 |
| 2022-23 * | BRK | 40 | 37 | 48.6 | 37.4 | 88.3 | 1.0 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 27.1 |
| 2022-23 * | LAD | 20 | 38 | 51.0 | 39.2 | 94.7 | 1.1 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 27.0 |
| Total | 671 | 34 | 47.2 | 39.2 | 88.5 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 5.7 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 23.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
