Rising above trials

Tears rolled down Dallas guard Kyrie Irving’s eyes as he took two free throws after a fall in the first quarter of an NBA game against Sacramento on the Mavericks home court in March last year. He went down following a foul by DeMar DeRozan while driving to the hoop and his right foot landed on the foot of DeRozan’s teammate Jonas Valanciunas, causing a tumble under his left leg. Irving was on the floor for several minutes, clearly in pain and holding his left leg.

Dallas coach Jason Kidd asked Irving if he could take the free throws because if not, under NBA rules, he wouldn’t be able to return to the game. Irving still thought of reentering the contest so willed himself to take the foul shots. He was helped to the line and converted the free throws in tears as the crowd chanted “MVP, MVP” before carried to the lockerroom, never to go back. What was initially suspected to be a sprain turned out to be a torn ACL in the left knee. Dr. Riley Williams performed surgery to repair the tear in New York City and Irving has since been on the recovery trail, missing last season.

During a presscon at the ANTA World Tour stop in Jakarta last Tuesday, Irving spoke about the ups and downs in his career. “I’ve had four knee surgeries, a shoulder surgery and two hand surgeries,” said Irving who has played in 14 NBA campaigns, averaging 23.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 34.5 minutes in 779 regular season games all of which he started. “To be able to go to the weight room, wake up early, still work on my craft, still strive to win championships … mentally, it could be challenging and there are highs and lows but I don’t really call them lows (because) they’re just moments where they’re testing you … it’s God’s test and you just have to figure it out, what’s my redirection? Where’s my transformational step? What more can I learn about myself and what other things make me happy other than what has been taken away?”

Irving said through all the struggles, his motivation was to set an example to his four kids. “Being knocked down, how I dealt with it and how I responded is all I want to be remembered,” he continued. “I challenge myself to be better. When basketball is done, I can say I gave it my all. For the youth, learn from me to be patient. Giving others grace, giving yourself grace, not feeling like you know it all. Stay curious about life, have fun, smile, cry tears, feel all the emotions. Go into the depth of being human.”

Irving said he continues to be driven and focused, using basketball as a universal sport to be a connector. “When I started playing basketball, I never imagined that I’d be here,” he shared. “I have plenty of supporters, tribe members around the world who give me inspiration, especially in the last year, after tearing my ACL, not being on the court, being injured, going through painful moments. But if anybody remembers just me being on the free throw line, I thank God for putting me in that position. God is truly merciful or Allah is truly merciful. Ultimately, it’s a gift I want to share with the world. Whether it’s creating shoes, whether it’s being on the court, whether it’s being with different walks of life, different religions, different cultures…that makes me happy. I’m just going to continue to lead the right way.”