“My Dad Told Me at a Young Age, I Had a 1 in 3,333 Percent Chance..”: $90 Million All Star Opened Up on Beating the Odds to Make It to the NBA

NBA star Kyrie Irving has revealed on social media how his father gave him a brutal reality check in the formative years of his career about the flimsy chances of a professional athlete making it into the league. In other words, Irving was well aware of the almost impossible odds of securing a spot in the NBA. As it turns out, he also had a backup plan ready in case things don’t work out as anticipated.

Sometimes it can be difficult for the average fan to perceive the level of brilliance a player has to display to get into the NBA. In fact, former Celtics player Brian Scalabrine has garnered the reputation of accepting challenges from NBA fans and amateur athletes to showcase the drastic differences in skill between a retired NBA player and the average Joe.

In fact, videos of Scalabrine schooling regular guys and amateur hoopers have gone viral multiple times on the Internet. He once famously said to a heckler, “I’m closer to LeBron than you are to me.” This statement succinctly encapsulates the rarity of the talent of an NBA athlete.

Kyrie Irving reveals how hard it is to get into the NBA

In a recent tweet, Kyrie Irving revealed that his father warned him in his early years about the flimsy chances an athlete has of entering the NBA. In addition, he also advised the Nets star to have a backup plan in case things don’t go as planned.

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“My Dad told me at a young age, I had a 1 in 3,333 percent chance (.03%) of making it to the NBA and that I should have back up plans for my life regardless if it happened or not,” wrote Irving on Twitter.

“I am grateful he told me the truth because With or without basketball, I know myself,” he added. Incidentally, only 4,502 players have managed to play at least one minute in the NBA.

Irving’s stint in the league

However, things turned out pretty favorably for Kyrie Irving. The 30-year-old star has amassed a staggering net worth of $90 million after spending over a decade in the league.

Irving was selected first overall in the 2011 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers despite being only 6’2″. Within a year, he proved his competence by winning the 2021 Rookie of the Year award. The seven-time All-Star also played a pivotal role in the Cavs’ 2016 championship victory.

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This offseason, Kyrie Irving exercised his $37 million player option for the Brooklyn Nets despite several trade rumors. He will start the 2022-23 season for the New York franchise.