By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
Kyrie Irving has had success both in the NBA, winning a ring in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and with Team USA at the national team level, winning three gold medals including the one at the FIBA U18 World Cup in 2010.
However, as he revealed on a Twitch stream, the 31-year-old current Dallas Mavericks guard said that he “wanted to play for Australia”. Being born in Melbourne in 1992, he would have liked to represent the Boomers on the International stage.
“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 wasn’t going to let that happen either”, he said.
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Playing at high-level with Team USA, he represented his country both at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, averaging 12.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game, and at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, putting up 11.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game.
At the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Team USA will play against Greece, Jordan, and New Zealand in Group C, while Australia is set to face Germany, Finland, and Japan in Group E.
PHOTO CREDIT: 2016 Olympic Games
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