In the world of basketball, we know Kyrie Irving for both his extraordinary talent and divisive political views. His story is one of unrealized potential and repressed desires. However, the tale of Irving’s sincere desire to represent his birth country got postponed by the politics of international basketball. This matter remained mostly unsung amid his victories and scandals.

But now, after almost 14 years, Irving speaks up about the injustice that he had to face. During a recent Twitch stream, Irving spoke about how he was not allowed to represent his birth country and was forced to play for the USA.

Kyrie talks about why he could not represent his birth country

Kyrie Irving was born in 1991 in Melbourne, Australia, and has both foreign parents. Due to that, he has strong ties with the country of Australia. But even though he moved back to America when he was just two years old, his heart always belonged in his native country. Irving shared during a Twitch stream that he had a great time with Team USA.

He said, “I consider myself an international player even though I played on Team USA.” He repeated, “I was born in Australia,” underscoring his ties to the nation that had raised him from an early age.

Irving, a 17-year-old prodigy from Australia, dreamed of playing for his home country on the global basketball scene. Unfortunately, he faced obstacles due to bureaucratic issues within the American basketball system. Although he had exceptional skills and a strong desire to represent the Australian national basketball team, the Boomers, his way was obstructed.

Irving disclosed, “Team USA asked me to play for them when I was 17 or 18. I wanted to play for Australia, but it just didn’t happen.” He further added, “Coach K (Former Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski) wasn’t going to let that happen either.” He said that the hopes of wearing the colors of his homeland were over, as the coach was not willing to loosen the grip on Irving’s commitment.

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Kyrie Irving, a Mavericks guard, has a net worth of $90 million as of 2023. He signed a three-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks, averaging an average salary of $40,000,000.

Irving’s earnings in the NBA

Irving’s base salary for 2023-24 is $37,037,037, with a cap hit of $37,037,037 and a dead cap value of $37,037,037. He earns $35 million per year in average annual contract salary. Irving also used to endorse Nike shoes, earning around $17 million from endorsements. Now he has signed a new sneaker deal with a Chinese company called Anta. He also has endorsement contracts with Panini and Pepsi and does a lot of charity work.

Irving made a public donation of $60,000 at the end of November to the oldest Black Muslim school in the city. Irving also makes regular TV appearances, earning significant money. He starred in the 2019 film Uncle Drew, which grossed $47 million at the box office.

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Kyrie Irving’s story of being forced into a jersey he didn’t envision represents the complex politics of international basketball. It makes us think of a young athlete’s desire to compete for his own nation, but just could not because of political circumstances.