Fact Check: Is Kyrie Irving Native American? Dallas Mavericks star covers Nike logo as All-Star shoe design goes viral
Kyrie Irving made his eighth All-Star appearance on Sunday night in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Dallas Mavericks guard wore his Nike shoes during the 2023 All-Star Game, but he covered up the swoosh logo.
The former NBA champion covered his signature shoes with tasseled fringes, which is most likely a nod to his heritage. As many basketball fans are already aware, Irving has connections to Native Americans.
While he is a fantastic basketball player, Irving is also very controversial, which is why Nike ended up dropping him as a signature athlete. Due to this, the Mavs guard covered the logo of the company in a unique way.
Is Kyrie Irving Native American?
Kyrie Irving's journey has been very interesting. He was born in Melbourne, Australia, but moved with his family to the United States when he was only two years old.
Irving's father, Drederick, played college basketball at Boston University. Drederick Irving later moved to Australia to play for the Bulleen Boomers in the South East Australian Basketball League, which is where his son was born.
Kyrie's mother, Elizabeth, was African American and Lakota. Lakota are Native Americans and belong to the Sioux tribe.
Unfortunately, Irving's mother died when he was only four years old. He didn't have a chance to get to know her well. However, the Dallas Mavericks guard explored his heritage and visited the Standing Rock Sioux Nation in North Dakota in 2018.
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The talented basketball player even went through a naming ceremony, which is why he is now also known as Hela, which means Little Mountain in the Lakota language.
Kyrie Irving has fully embraced his heritage and has been very public about it. He officially became a member of his late mother's tribe in 2021, cementing his status as a Native American.
Irving covered the Nike logo during the 2023 NBA All-Star Game
Irving has been very controversial over the past few years. The 6-foot-2 guard believes that the Earth is flat and he's also refused to take a COVID-19 vaccine, which caused him to miss more than 50 games in the 2021-22 season.
Earlier this season, the talented guard made some anti-Semitic comments, which is why he's been criticized by a lot of people. Due to this, Nike decided to cut ties with him.
During the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, Irving wore two different pairs of shoes. However, he decided to cover up the Nike logo due to his tainted relationship with the footwear company.
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Irving was one of the best players on Team LeBron, finishing the game with a 32-point, 15-assist double-double. The guard was also very efficient, going 14-for-21 from the field.