Kyrie Irving is a star in the making thanks to his incredible ball-handling mixed with his ability to score from virtually anywhere on the floor. In addition to that, Irving has already set numerous Cavalier franchise and NBA records, and he’s only 23! We take a look at the top five records he’s set, starting with number 5:
5. Second youngest player to win NBA All-Star Game MVP
This stat will put smiles on the face of every Cavs fan around the world.
Kyrie Irving was voted to his first NBA All-Star game in 2014, at the tender age of 21 years old. Heck, my brother is 21 years old and still lives at home with my parents, just to put that in perspective.
On that day he became the sixth youngest player to be named an All-Star, and walked away with the MVP trophy, making him the second youngest player to be named MVP. Who was the youngest player to win the ward you ask? Good question!
That was a guy named LeBron James, also of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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4. Best single game three point shooting performance in Cavs history
During his 55 point barrage on the Portland Trailblazers, Kyrie Irving was simply lights out from the three point arc. He shot 11 of 19 from deep, including a cold blooded triple that iced the game.
Irving walked the ball into the front court, facing Nicolas Batum as the Cavs really, really spaced the floor. With 4.6 seconds on the shot clock, Irving fired a 3-ball from the right wing over the outstretched right arm of Batum. Commence the Fred McLeod, “KYRIE IRVING! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”
Kyrie fell just one short of the NBA record of 12 made triples in a game, set by both Donyell Marshall and Kobe Bryant.
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3. One of three players to score 55+ points multiple times in the same season since the 1990-91 season
Kyrie Irving joined the two best players to ever play the game in this category, after torching the Spurs for 57.
On January 28th, Kyrie Irving went video game on the Portland Trailblazers, dropping 55 points and iced the game with a triple in the face of Nicolas Batum.
Irving went 17-of-36 from the field, including 11-of-19 from 3-point range, and 10-of-10 from the line in 39 minutes. He set a personal and franchise record for most successful 3-pointers. He didn’t just stop there either, also adding five assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Add in no LeBron James and the second game of a back-to-back, then fast forward to the March 12, 57 point outing against San Antonio, Kyrie joined Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the only players to score 55+ points multiple times since the beginning of the 90’s.
The scary difference between Kyrie and his categorical partners, is age. When Kobe accomplished this feat at first, he was 27, Michael Jordan was 30. Kyrie Irving was 23.
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2. Highest single scoring game in Cavs history
A record that just sounds like it should belong to LeBron, Kyrie shocked the basketball world when he dropped 57 points on the San Antonio Spurs on March 12th 2015.
The Spurs were looking to extend their winning streak to seven, and on their home floor they faced a red hot Cavaliers squad on a nationally televised game. The bigger the stage, the bigger the performance.
LeBron jokes he’s got no desire to chase Kyrie’s franchise-record 57 points. “I’ve got 15 other franchise records. I don’t mind.”
Kyrie set an NBA season high and a career high, including a buzzer beater to send the game into OT. Irving’s 57 points set a Cavs franchise record, surpassing LeBron James, who had 56 against the Raptors on March 20th, 2005.
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1. Sixth youngest NBA All-Star
‘Sixth youngest’ doesn’t exactly sound like the greatest achievement going around, until you know who the other five players are.
When Kyrie was voted to his first All-Star team in 2013, he couldn’t have been happier. “It’s one of the best days of my life,” Irving said after hearing the news. “It’s a big deal for me and it’s a big deal for the city of Cleveland to be picked as an All-Star for the first time. I’m turning 21 on March 23 and to be with those guys, to see those names on TNT, that was truly a blessing.”
The only players younger to be included in an NBA All-Star team, are either in the Hall of Fame, or are on their way. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Kevin Garnett, Isiah Thomas and Shaquille O’Neal, welcome Kyrie Irving to this elite class.