Kyrie Irving emerging as star on and off the court
LAS VEGAS — Kyrie Irving sat on a couch in a suite in the Wynn hotel and casino surrounded by executives and an advertising team from Nike.
The topic: the Kyrie 3, his signature basketball shoe set for release later this year.
Irving had a prominent voice in all aspects of the shoe, from its design and features to the box the shoes will come in to the marketing and promotion.
“In all the meetings and whether it be apparel, whether it be sneakers, whether it be commercials, whether it be anything, I’m in there,” Irving said. “I’m doing the dirty work.”
That played out during a week in Las Vegas in which Irving shot two commercials (one for Foot Locker and one for the NBA 2K video game), did a photo shoot (for Pepsi), conducted a business meeting with Nike and practiced daily with USA Basketball in preparation for the Rio Olympics.
The on-court and off-court production dovetails at the perfect time for Irving. Following a broken kneecap in the 2015 NBA Finals, Irving returned to the court in December and played his best basketball of the season during the playoffs, helping Cleveland win the 2016 championship with stellar play and a game-winning three-pointer with 53 seconds left in Game 7 against Golden State.
During the playoffs, Irving averaged 25.2 points, 4.7 assists, 1.7 steals and shot 47.5% from the field and 44% on three-pointers. In the Finals, he averaged 27.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals, proving he could perform on that stage when it was questioned whether he could.
“In high school, I thought he would be great. He’s better,” U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “The thing about him is he’s still getting better and he’s smart — smart people-wise and smart game-wise. He’s smart while the game is going on at a high level. The really good ones are like that.”
Now, Irving has a chance to become one of a few players to win an NBA title and Olympic gold in the same year.
“Other than it being Coach K’s (U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski) last go-around at the Olympics, having an opportunity to win an NBA championship and a gold medal and playing with all these amazing guys and going for something bigger than myself and understanding it takes a process to win something big, I wanted it again,” Irving said. “I was yearning for it. It’s a special opportunity.”
At 24, Irving has emerged as a double-threat: elite guard and sought-after endorser for multiple products.
Irving the pitchman continues to expand from his popular Uncle Drew Pepsi commercials and is a natural in front of the camera whether caked in old-man makeup or as himself. He has exclusive deals with headphone-maker Skullcandy and trading-card company Panini.
His Kyrie line with Nike is one of the company’s fastest-growing signature shoes. It’s a part of the business he enjoys even as he eschews “CEO of his own brand” as a cliché.
“I love it because I’m allowed to be myself, and I’m allowed to connect with people beyond branding,” Irving said. “I don’t do it for the money. I don’t do it for anything else other than making genuine connections and putting things out in the world that I can truly be proud of because it came from me.”
His on-court performance bolsters his off-court success. After breaking a kneecap, no one knew what kind of player Irving would be when he returned.
Private and generally unwilling to reveal too much of his rehab, Irving told USA TODAY Sports during the NBA playoffs that he “wasn’t going to settle for just being OK and not being everything I thought I could be.”
"This is what my dad (Drederick) prepared me for,” Irving said. “He prepared me for going through the ups and downs of life and dealing with things that happen, and it’s just part of life. How you respond and how you come out of it is the true definition of your character.”
When asked last week about Paul George’s devastating leg injury during U.S. training for the 2014, Irving said, “Sometimes, adversity can do that to you, and it has a way of shaping a person’s life like no other. … None of us were there when he was just alone and thinking about life and how he was going to get back. None of us were there when he was trying to figure out ‘where’s the next step?’
“Those days when you’re knocked down and by yourself are the days the define you, define the way your life is going to be shaped.”
Irving could have been talking about himself. And both George and Irving will be integral players as the U.S. men’s team tries to win a third consecutive gold medal.
While some All-Stars decided not to play in Rio, Irving planned on playing as long as he was healthy. He and Krzyzewski have talked about Rio since 2012 when Irving was a member of the U.S. select team that scrimmaged against the London Olympic team.
Because of an injury in 2010, Irving played just 11 games in one season for Krzyzewski at Duke, the two maintain a close relationship. Irving played for Krzyzewski at the 2014 World Cup in Spain and was named MVP of the event following his championship performance in which he scored 26 points and made 6-for-6 three-pointers against Serbia.
“It’s turned into a mentorship, which I’ve enjoyed,” Irving said. “It’s been so beneficial to my development as a man and as a player. He’s checking in on me at least once or twice a month during the season and when I get a chance to go back to Duke or see him during the season, he’s family. From the first time he walked in my house and started cooking with my stepmother, it’s been nothing but family.”
By the time the Rio Olympics are over, Irving will have played more games for Krzyzewski with the U.S. than he did for Duke.
“He loved being at Duke. He comes back. We follow him. We know his family, so he’s never left our family,” Krzyzewski said. “For me to have had the opportunity to coach him in Spain and win was great for both of us. We won a championship together. Hopefully, we can win another one.”