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The True Kyrie Irving Legacy The NBA star confirmed his commitment to Islam earlier this year and continues to make an even greater impact off the basketball court. BY HABEEBA HUSAIN
As this edition was going to press, the New York Times reported: Michigan-based Paani Project teamed up with Irving’s KAI Family Foundation to provide water and electric power to individuals in one of Pakistan’s most unprivileged locations called Rohal.
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n his 10 years as a professional basketball player, Kyrie Irving has built up quite the resume. Both NBA Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist in 2014, seven-time NBA All-Star and Rookie of the Year in 2011 are just a few of the accolades that come to mind. At the end of this most recent regular season, the Brooklyn Net became only the ninth player in history to join the esteemed 50-40-90 club, a strong nod to his efficiency on the court. He shot 50.6% from the field, 40.2% from the three-point arc and 92.2% from the free-throw line. He’s just the fourth player to do so while averaging over 25 points per game, joining his teammate Kevin Durant, three-time NBA Champion Stephen Curry, and the legendary Larry Bird.
It’s safe to say that the man is an elite player. On the court, all eyes are on him. Off the court, he still demands attention — though he may not like it. Last year, Irving donated $1.5 million to those Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players who opted out of their season due to the coronavirus and social justice issues. In January, news broke that he bought a house for George Floyd’s family. In May, he launched a consulting firm for minority-owned businesses. The list quietly grows as the media becomes privy to Irving’s impactful moves away from the basketball arena. In a post-game press conference that I shamelessly played on repeat when it first dropped in April, Irving confirmed his commitment to Islam. His tweets praising Allah had made their rounds weeks prior on Twitter, but the speculation remained. The tweets came from the mystery man himself, after all. But the speculation was put to rest when Irving began answering a question about fasting with, “All praise is due to God, Allah, for this.” He continued about “being a part of the Muslim community” and “being committed to Islam” before he confirmed, “I am taking part in Ramadan with a lot of my Muslim brothers and sisters. … It’s just being committed to my service to God, Allah, and then continuing on with whatever I’m guided with. I’m just happy to be part of my community and doing the right things … really blessed and grateful to be taking part in this.” For the remainder of Ramadan, Irving was quite mum when it came to his beliefs. He let his game do the talking, per usual. Soon after that presser, he dropped 35 points, 12 assists and 6 boards in 34 minutes in an afternoon game (read: while fasting the entire time). “Ramadan Kyrie,” as Muslim fans dubbed him, had arrived. When I pitched a story about NBA players fasting
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 57
