• Kyrie Irving was born in Australia but represented Team USA as an international player
• Irving revealed his head coach at Duke, Mike Krzyzewski, convinced him to not play for Australia
• Krzyzewski was also the head coach of Team USA at the time
Kyrie Irving won the 2014 FIBA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Gold medal as one of the lead guards on Team USA. It almost never would’ve been possible, as Irving wanted to represent Australia until Team USA and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski intervened. Irving revealed the same on his Twitch recently.
“I consider myself an international player even though I played on Team USA. A lot of my peers laugh at me when I bring it up and some fans may not agree, but I was born in Australia. Team USA asked me to play for them when I was 17 or 18 … I wanted to play for Australia, but it just didn’t happen. Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) wasn’t going to let that happen either.”
Irving wore the No. 10 for Team USA and averaged 11.8 points and 4.2 assists over 17 games played in the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. He shot 52.4% from the field and an incredible 48.9% from three while playing for Team USA.
How Would Team Australia Look With Kyrie Irving In The 2023 World Cup?
Team Australia is one of the medal hopefuls at the World Cup this year. Patty Mills is still the leader of the team, transforming into an All-Star during FIBA play. But the Australian roster is packed with NBA talent, though nobody is of the level of Kyrie.
His Mavs’ teammates Josh Green and Dante Exum are playing for the Boomers, along with Josh Giddey, Joe Ingles, Matisse Thybulle, and Dyson Daniels being other NBA players on the roster. Jock Landale was also supposed to participate before an injury ruled him out.
Irving would fit perfectly in the backcourt with Giddey or Mills and be their primary offensive weapon. He can be ultra-efficient, so it’s unlikely he hogs the ball. They’re medal contenders right now, but with Irving, Australia may have had the pieces to at least give Team USA a challenge at this year’s World Cup.
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