In 2022, Kyrie Irving took the momentous decision to hire his stepmother Shetellia Riley Irving as his agent. She became the first-ever Black female agent in the NBA in the process and has done a fabulous job thus far. Her stepson certainly is proud of the work she has put in and Irving spoke about that pivotal decision he made to Andscape.
“It’s crazy to see the racial barrier be lifted in a different way in my generation,” Irving said. “Now we should be calling to do more and create more history. When I brought my stepmom in, it just wasn’t to create the first Black female agent. It was to create another perspective that could be looked at and studied years from now.”
As for Riley Irving, she appreciates being the first-ever Black female agent but hopes she isn’t the only one for much longer.
“Being the first is awesome and amazing,” Riley Irving said. “But I don’t want to be the only one. Being the only one means you’re functioning by yourself. And that’s not what I want.”
Well, I hope for Riley Irving’s sake that more qualified Black females like her are able to get this opportunity. In her short time representing her stepson, she has managed to get two massive deals over the line.
In 2023, Riley Irving became the first Black woman to negotiate and complete an NBA contract, after Kyrie signed a three-year, $126 million extension with the Dallas Mavericks. Just a couple of weeks later, Irving also signed a five-year deal with ANTA.
I believe there is a certain level of pressure to not fail, on an individual when they are the first among a particular group of people to get a job like this. Not only has Riley Irving not failed, but she has smashed it out of the park.
Who Is Shetellia Riley Irving?
Shetellia Riley Irving officially became a part of Kyrie Irving’s life in 2004 when his father Drederick Irving married her. Irving’s mother Elizabeth had passed away in 1996 and she did a great job of filling that void.
Riley Irving completed her education at The City College of New York in 1996 and started working as an account executive at 1010 Wins in 1997. A year later, she joined the Power 105.1 radio station in New York City as a senior account executive, the role she held when she married Drederick.
In 2009, Riley Irving headed over to Black Entertainment Television as an account manager. She was promoted to the role of Senior Vice President of Ad Sales in 2018 and held that position until her stepson requested her in 2021 to take over as CEO of his company, A11Even Sports.
Earlier that year, Kyrie fired Roc Nation as his agency and Riley Irving officially assumed that role as well in March 2022. The partnership has only gone from strength to strength since then.
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