VIDEO: Kyrie Irving embraces fellow Muslim brothers after a Mosque visit before 2024-25 NBA opening night
Kyrie Irving reportedly embraced Islam in 2021. Since becoming a Muslim, he has made religion a big part of his NBA career. Irving practices fasting even when he competes in the grind of professional basketball.
The eight-time All-Star visited the Valley Ranch Islamic Center in Irving, Texas, before the Dallas Mavericks opened their 2024-25 NBA season. He was spotted talking to some of his fellow Muslims and shared hugs with two of them.
An X, formerly Twitter, user, shared a photo of himself with Kyrie Irving inside the mosque and captioned the post:
“thanks @KyrieIrving for inspiring me to be a better muslim”
“Uncle Drew” sometimes talks about spirituality and religion in his tweets. It wasn’t surprising that he took care of that part of his life before starting a new season in the NBA.
Irving looked ready for the new campaign based on his preseason games. He has also spent time with his Muslim brothers to prepare himself for the upcoming basketball grind. The Dallas Mavericks superstar should be raring for Thursday's showdown with Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs.
Kyrie Irving once opened up about his “difficult journey” during Ramadan
From March 10 to April 9 this year, Kyrie Irving joined the Muslim community in celebrating Ramadan. During the one-month event, Irving fasted even when the Dallas Mavericks were in a highly contested race for playoff spots.
In a talk with reporters, Irving had this to say about fasting during the said holy month:
“Ramadan is a special time. You try not to think about the suffering too much and really focus on the journey with God and the path that you’re on and just stay focused on that.
“It’s a difficult journey. To be able to play 48 minutes and do it without having a drink or any food in my stomach is nothing short of a miracle.”
Despite the challenge, Irving helped the Dallas Mavericks to a 13-2 record during that stretch. The journey was difficult, but “Uncle Drew” has embraced this practice since his second season with the Brooklyn Nets.
Irving will again compete in the NBA while fasting when the Islamic holy month arrives next year.