“He's breaking down the whole team”- Paul George knew that Kyrie Irving was special during his rookie year
In 2012, a clip of Kyrie Irving crossing over Team USA stars Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and James Harden went viral.
Irving had just finished his rookie season with Cleveland at the time and was selected as a member of the 2012 USA Select Team. The Select Team scrimmaged against Team USA that summer, which gave Irving an additional chance to prove himself among the game’s best players.
George was also a member of the Select Team at the time. The star wing broke down the viral clip of Irving on a recent episode of “Podcast P with Paul George.” George explained that Irving was forced to take matters into his own hands due to the lockdown defense tplayed in the scrimmages:
"What people don't see from that moment was how tough it was,” George said. "I don't know if y'all seen that clip where Ky was like is doing some special s***. He's breaking down the whole team, putting it behind his legs. Bro that play happened because we could not get the ball past half-court.
He continued:
“Bron, Kob, they all like picking it up full court. Melo. They like in our s*** and it was crazy because like Ky took it upon himself. And that was I think his rookie year. Like, that was after his rookie season. And we was watching it like, 'Oh, oh!'” George continued.
George added that the young Irving was feeling extremely confident following his impressive play and even talked trash to Kobe Bryant:
“He was feeling himself. Like, 'I just broke all y'all down. I'm feeling myself,’” George said.
Irving would later go on to represent Team USA in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, winning two gold medals.
How did Kyrie Irving fare during his rookie season?
As for Kyrie Irving’s production during his rookie season, he was a clear standout. The 2011 No. 1 pick averaged 18.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 3-pointers per game on 46.9% shooting over 51 games.
Irving’s strong play led him to receive the 2012 Rookie of the Year award. That came after the star guard received 117 out of a possible 120 first-place votes. The award would mark one of the many he would go on to receive durimg his illustrious career.
Through 12 seasons, Irving is an eight-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA team member and an NBA champion, among other accolades.
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