10 years of Kyrie Irving: Top 5 moments from Uncle Drew's NBA career
Kyrie Irving is undoubtedly the best ball-handler in the modern-day NBA. A decade after his introduction to the league, he continues to dazzle with his incredible shot-making and dribbling abilities.
The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Kyrie Irving with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, a year after LeBron James' departure. His brilliance was on display immediately as he led the Cavs in points and earned the 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year.
After a year in the league, Kyrie Irving created a character that went to different cities schooling the younger generation of basketball players. Uncle Drew was first created as an advertorial for Pepsi but was later transformed into a movie in 2018.
There are several awe-inspiring moments from Kyrie Irving's career, but we will be focusing on career-defining moments. Irving dazzled on the court every night, which made choosing just five difficult.
As with every NBA player, no one is perfect. Kyrie Irving has some flaws in leadership and durability. But one thing is for certain, he loves the game just as much (if not more) than the other superstars in the league. Kyrie joined the famed 50-40-90 club in the 2020-21 season after averaging 50.6% from the field, 40.2% from three-point range, and 92.2 from the charity stripe.
To commemorate Kyrie Irving's decade in the NBA, here are his top five moments.
#5 Scoring 55 points against the Portland Trail Blazers
On the 28th of January 2015, Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers squared up against Portland Trail Blazers and came out on top. It was doubly impressive as they secured victory without James.
Kyrie's scoring touch was once again put on display as he converted 11 out of 19 attempts from three-point range. His incredible shooting led the team to a 99-94 victory.
#4 Scoring a career-high 57 points against the San Antonio Spurs
Kyrie Irving set a career-high in points after putting 57 past the San Antonio Spurs, a few days after scoring 55 points against the Trail Blazers. It was personal for LeBron as he lost the 2014 Finals to them. However, Kyrie took it upon himself to enact revenge.
The Cavaliers last led during the second quarter, but Kyrie Irving kept them in the game. At the end of regulation, he sunk a buzzer-beater to force overtime. Kyrie was perfect from the free-throw line (10-of-10), as well as from deep (7-of-7), to lead the Cavs to a 128-125 victory.