Former NBA Star Amar’e Stoudemire Says Kyrie Irving Should Have Been On 75th Anniversary Team

Stoudemire witnessed Irving’s greatness up close while he was an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets. 

“He’s an amazing talent,” Stoudemire said about Irving. “He should be a top-75 player, no question about it.”

Irving has career averages of 23.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.4 blocks with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Nets and Mavericks. He’s made eight All-Star teams and three All-NBA teams. 

The 32-year-old Irving won the 2011-12 Rookie of the Year Award and the 2016 championship with the Cavaliers. Uncle Drew hit the game-winning 3-pointer over Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. 

The 2015-16 Cavaliers are the only team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the Finals. 

Most people believe Irving didn’t make the 75th Anniversary Team because he didn’t take the COVID-19 vaccine and tweeted a link to an anti-semitic video.

For the Mavericks this season, Irving is averaging 25.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.4 blocks while shooting 49.4% from the field, 41.3% from beyond the arc and 90.5% from the free-throw line. 

The Mavericks are 45-30 on the season. They are in fifth place in the Western Conference standings. 

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, “genuine fondness” exists between Irving and Dallas superstar Luka Doncic. 

“Multiple team sources indicate that there is a genuine fondness between the stars,” Stein wrote. “One recent example shared with The Stein Line: At a 25th birthday party for Dončić in Toronto last month, Irving was the last Maverick to close down the soirée with Luka at night’s end. One more example: Earlier this week, when the Mavericks held an optional practice for low-minute players to get in some extra work on the morning after another road win in San Antonio, both Irving and Dončić unexpectedly attended the session and played in the pickup games. They clearly enjoy each other’s company.”