The Cleveland Cavaliers are fortunate enough to have one of the more talented rosters in the entire NBA. Of course, LeBron James grabs most of the headlines, and rightly so, but he has a very special running partner in dynamic point guard Kyrie Irving, who leaves NBA fans in awe on a nightly basis.
Irving is one of the most talented offensive players in the association and his wizardry and handle of the basketball is among the best the league has ever seen. The Duke product also possesses the uncanny ability to finish around the rim unlike any other in the league, and his heroics for the Cavs during their championship run will live long in the memory of all NBA enthusiasts.
Irving may be a special talent, but his social awareness is also an underrated aspect of his overall kind human nature. He understands the importance of the position he is in, and has big plans to use his platform as a vehicle for change within society and communities. Some may not realize, but Irving has strong views about social agendas that he feels need addressing and improvement.
This was on show recently as Irving sat down on Drama’s “Short Story Long” podcast and spoke about the frustrations he has about living in a society where you have to be fortunate enough to play in order to reap everyday benefits of general life and wellbeing. He went one step further, revealing that he plans on eventually creating a “self-sustaining community”.
The All-Star ultimately wants to purchase land and create an eco-village in order to give people more fundamental opportunity in life.
Here are some of the best bits from the interview via Slam Online.
What do you see the longer-term, the 20-year… Do you have any big aspirations?
Kyrie: “I have—they’re never lofty—the idea of a self-sustaining community that ultimately exists with… Everyone has equality, but just built around a culture that is being driven by individuals that are selected amongst us as a community that we all want to stay close to.
“So we’re just working on a plan where ultimately we can accomplish that on a grander scale of a lot of acres, farmable land and basically buy that land and start building our own damn community.
How many people are in this community?
Kyrie: “That’s what I’m saying, these are literally just the layout of what we want to accomplish, and now you start filling out how you want to accomplish it.
“We have some people, but we need more. We’ll find each other in terms of how do you accomplish something like that—that you have a self-sustaining community that ultimately is all together.
You don’t to worry about outside anything. That’s the goal.
Kyrie: “I don’t want to say not worry about outside, but there are things that you figure out that just make sense man.
“The fact that it costs a shit-ton to be healthy.
“The fact that it costs a whole bunch of money to get fresh, organic, free-range eggs.
“So you’re telling me that these organic eggs… What’s the difference? The quality of food and things in this crazy world—
“I always say it to my friends… the fact that you have to pay to play in this world is ridiculous. You really have to pay to play.
“You have to pay your phone bill. You have to pay for the spot that you’re living in right now. You have to pay for your clothes. You have to pay for your hat. You have to pay for your shirt. And on top of that, you want to throw on some jewelry.
“And then there’s a separate class that they’ve put us in because of money.”
Already an NBA champion and multiple time All-Star, Uncle Drew understands that his mission is much bigger than basketball, as he’s in a powerful position to make a positive change in the world moving forward.