Who Is Kyrie Irving’s Dad? Debunking Details About His Beef With ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith

In the world of today’s NBA, it is not rare to see a player whose parents themselves once had a connection with the sport of basketball. Dell Curry, the father of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, served as an NBA player for 16 years. Devin Booker and his father, Melvin, were both prominent adversaries against players like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. While he could not reach the rank of the ultimate league, NBA star Kyrie Irving’s father, Drederick, played his part in ensuring that his son succeeded where he failed. Today, that very son and the rest of the Dallas Mavericks roster are preparing to face off against the Boston Celtics in the upcoming NBA Finals.

Having been a part of his son’s 13-year-long NBA career, Drederick Irving stood by Kyrie’s side as the latter got into a feud with renowned ESPN sportscaster Stephen A. Smith. Before getting into the reason behind the same, let’s look into who this individual is.

Who is Drederick Irving?

Early Days

Drederick Irving spent his early childhood days in the Bronx Area of New York City. As per several reports, Drederick was amused with gymnastics, which is how he entered the world of sports. As he turned 10, he started to try his hand at basketball. His resilience and ability to handle the ball efficiently allowed him to take his talents all the way to Boston University.

In all of his 4 years of college, he played in over 122 games, securing an average score of 15.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2 assists. His official bio on the Boston University website also stated that he played an instrumental role in leading the Terriers Men’s Basketball Team all the way to the North Atlantic Conference Championship game every single year.

And then, by the time he reached his second season with the team, he was the University’s all-time leading scorer. By the time he left, he accomplished a milestone of more than 1,931 career points.

Even after 36 years today, his stats remain the third highest in Boston University’s history. In fact, he was even honored by his college, later retiring his jersey and inducting him into their Athletic Hall of Fame.

Drederick Irving’s life post-college

After graduating, Drederick Irving reportedly underwent a free agent try-out to see if he could be included with the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately, it did not happen for him. So, post this unsuccessful attempt to enter the league, he moved to Australia and devoted a season to the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL). There, he played for the Bulleen Boomers team, where he was making 30 points per game.

And this is where his personal life took a head start as he met his future wife, Elizabeth Larson. Elizabeth would accompany him in his professional career, and give him all the support he needed in Australia. Later, they gave birth to Kyrie Irving.

Unfortunately, Larson passed away when the future NBA player was just four years of age. A grieving husband, Drederick took care of his two children, Kyrie and his daughter, Asia, before he remarried.

Currently, as per his LinkedIn profile, Drederick has been working as a Bond Broker for Reuters for more than 2 decades.

What is the bond between Drederick and Kyrie Irving like?

Having come from a basketball background himself, Drederick was always there to guide his son on his journey. His father’s connection to the Boston University helped Kyrie in his future in the NBA to become the star that he is today. He helped Kyrie with his practice on court and helped him get through the college basketball skills camps. Kyrie grew up and took his talents to Duke University, later helping him get into the NBA.

In an interview with the Dallas Morning News, Kyrie only had praises for his father cum mentor. “He’s my biggest fan. One of my harshest critics. But he’s always been honest.”

Is there beef between Stephen A. Smith and Kyrie Irving’s father?

For the past couple of years, Stephen A. Smith has been a vocal critic of Kyrie Irving. It all started back in 2021 when the sportscaster took a shot at the then-Brooklyn Nets player for missing out on several games for ‘personal reasons.’ His criticism for Irving grew after the latter embroiled himself in reported issues related to the COVID-19 vaccine and his alleged Anti-Semitic views. This led to the origination of the beef between Smith and Irving’s father when he finally decided to intervene. 

Per Smith, Drederick Irving began to send text messages to the sportscaster, vigorously defending Kyrie. During an interview with Paul George back in August 2023, Smith revealed that he did not appreciate the effort that Irving’s father was making by engaging in personal communication with him.

Smith later highlighted running into Kyrie Irving and engaging in a conversation that revealed how the feud had now become between him and the player’s father. “The shame of it is I’m 55, obviously his father is around my age, and the younger son was the one that had to educate us,” revealed Stephen A Smith during the interview. “I called his father, and we resolved everything, and we met face to face, and it’s no problem.”

Smith stated that he would continue to judge the shooting guard based on how he would behave. However, he also assured the world that he would not make this feud personal.

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