10 under-the-radar facts about Birthday Boy Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving is one of the most recognizable faces in the NBA. He's one of the few players to have ever left a team consisting of LeBron James while at his prime and delivering at peak performance - he's certainly the only superstar sidekick who's done that.
He's been this good for so long, it is easy to forget that today is just his 26th birthday - Kyrie could be in this league for at least 10 more years. Right from his rookie season, Irving has put the basketball world on notice with his unfathomable skill - particularly at driving into the paint and laying it up.
While it is a well-known fact that Kyrie is perhaps the best clutch player in today's NBA and that he's got the best handles in the league, there are a number of facts about Kyrie's life that has gone relatively under the radar.
Here is a list of 10 facts that NBA diehards should know about Uncle Drew:
#10 His godfather is Rod Strickland, an NBA player for 17 years
Rod Strickland is an unknown name for basketball fans of today's generation. At his peak, however, Strickland could dish it out at a level comparable to the very best point guards of the 1990s - he led the league in assists per game for the 1997-98 season and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, beating off competition from the likes of all-time great John Stockton.
Strickland and Kyrie Irving's father Drederick were bosom friends since their childhood days in Bronx. They played together in the projects, often breaking their way into the local gym to practice late into the night after the regular players had made their way home and the gym was officially closed.