
Kyrie Irving
Uncle Drew, Little Mountain, and Enigmatic NBA Superstar
Martin Gitlin(Author)
University of Nebraska Press
Published on 1. October 2019
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-1-4962-1349-5 (ISBN)
Description
Perhaps no NBA player today is as exciting and yet enigmatic as Kyrie Irving. Martin Gitlin's biography chronicles Irving's brilliance on the court as a devastating one-on-one talent, examines the influence of his father, the untimely death of his mother, his growth as a basketball player in high school and college, and his journey in the NBA.
Nicknamed the "Isolation Assassin," Irving has earned the distinction as the most incredible isolation player in the league, outperforming rivals such as Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook with his crossover dribble, drives to the basket, stop-and-go moves, and smooth, feathery jumpers, a distinction borne out, moreover, by his championship-clinching shot against Curry's Golden State Warriors in 2016. Yet while he speaks of maximizing his talent, he has shown reluctance to maximize the production of his teammates by passing the ball, as well as his overall defense. Irving expresses his desire to win championships yet demanded a trade away from the franchise best suited to deliver him a second.
Off the court there is no one like Irving either. An educated individual who claims that the earth could be flat and that dinosaurs perhaps never existed, Irving is a man of puzzling contradictions who seeks self-actualization and contentment through a variety of pursuits, including reflection, music, and acting. Gitlin, a veteran writer who has followed Irving's career from the beginning, has much to tell about one of the most mysterious and sensational athletes of our time whose appeal transcends his sport.
Nicknamed the "Isolation Assassin," Irving has earned the distinction as the most incredible isolation player in the league, outperforming rivals such as Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook with his crossover dribble, drives to the basket, stop-and-go moves, and smooth, feathery jumpers, a distinction borne out, moreover, by his championship-clinching shot against Curry's Golden State Warriors in 2016. Yet while he speaks of maximizing his talent, he has shown reluctance to maximize the production of his teammates by passing the ball, as well as his overall defense. Irving expresses his desire to win championships yet demanded a trade away from the franchise best suited to deliver him a second.
Off the court there is no one like Irving either. An educated individual who claims that the earth could be flat and that dinosaurs perhaps never existed, Irving is a man of puzzling contradictions who seeks self-actualization and contentment through a variety of pursuits, including reflection, music, and acting. Gitlin, a veteran writer who has followed Irving's career from the beginning, has much to tell about one of the most mysterious and sensational athletes of our time whose appeal transcends his sport.
Reviews / Votes
Veteran sportswriter Marty Gitlin provides an entertaining look at Kyrie Irving, an enigma who is simultaneously a product of one of the nation's top universities and a Flat Earther, a conspiracy theorist and a basketball genius, an all-time Cleveland sports hero and one of its bigger villains."" - Bill Livingston, columnist for the Plain DealerMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Lincoln
United States
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
16 illustrations, index
Dimensions
Height: 230 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
467 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4962-1349-5 (9781496213495)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
10/2019
1st Edition
University of Nebraska Press
€27.99
Available for download

E-Book
10/2019
1st Edition
University of Nebraska Press
€32.99
Available for download
Person
Martin Gitlin is a veteran sportswriter who worked for seven years at CBSSports.com. He has won more than forty-five awards as a newspaper journalist, including first place for general excellence in journalism from the Associated Press. Gitlin is the author of more than 150 books, including The Greatest College Football Rivalries of All Time, Powerful Moments in Sports: The Most Significant Sporting Events in American History, and The 100 Greatest American Athletes.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Prodigy from Down Under
Chapter 2: Rising Above the Ballers of Jersey
Chapter 3: Steppingstone to Stardom
Chapter 4: Rocking and Rolling to Cleveland
Chapter 5: Stagnation
Chapter 6: Old Story and New Contract
Chapter 7: Changing Expectations
Chapter 8: The Ecstasy and Agony
Chapter 9: Spreading His Wings
Chapter 10: The Run and The Shot
Chapter 11: The Offseason of Dreams
Chapter 12: Swan Song in Cleveland
Chapter 13: Say What?
Chapter 14: The Great Escape
Chapter 15: Speaking and Saying Nothing
Chapter 16: Going Green
Chapter 17: A Question of Value
Chapter 18: A Recovery and ... a Reunion?
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Prodigy from Down Under
Chapter 2: Rising Above the Ballers of Jersey
Chapter 3: Steppingstone to Stardom
Chapter 4: Rocking and Rolling to Cleveland
Chapter 5: Stagnation
Chapter 6: Old Story and New Contract
Chapter 7: Changing Expectations
Chapter 8: The Ecstasy and Agony
Chapter 9: Spreading His Wings
Chapter 10: The Run and The Shot
Chapter 11: The Offseason of Dreams
Chapter 12: Swan Song in Cleveland
Chapter 13: Say What?
Chapter 14: The Great Escape
Chapter 15: Speaking and Saying Nothing
Chapter 16: Going Green
Chapter 17: A Question of Value
Chapter 18: A Recovery and ... a Reunion?
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography