Kyrie Irving played a pivotal role for the Dallas Mavericks during the 2023-24 season, leading them to the NBA Finals, where they ultimately fell to the Boston Celtics in five games. His standout play was lauded by fans, analysts, and players alike, but it wasn’t enough to secure a spot on the national team for the 2024 Olympics. This omission has led Irving to consider representing Australia, the country of his birth, in the future.
In an interview with The New York Times, Kyrie addressed his absence from the roster for Paris 2024: “I won’t say it was hurtful not to be able to try out, but it just was weird that we weren’t able to try out and get together as a group, because the USA team is not just 12 guys or 15 guys.”
Reflecting on his past success with Team USA, Irving shared, “I was playing on Team USA when I was 17, 18. I won when I was 18, when I was 22, and I won one when I was 24,” and acknowledged: “There is a pride thing there, and I have history. There was such a great competitive pool that you can test yourself against because it’s the best in the world.”
Irving considering Australia
Given his Australian birth, Kyrie Irving also has the option of representing the Australian national team. However, this would require approval from both Team USA and FIBA, and as of now, such a switch is not guaranteed.
Irving expressed his openness to the idea: “As a competitor, I was born in Australia. For me, it’s not a hard transition to make,” but remained realistic about the process: ”I don’t want to fall into the trap of being let down or disappointed when I know that there are other opportunities out there for me. I don’t think it’s a strong, strong possibility at this point, depending on what the Olympic Committee does.”
Irving’s Team USA legacy
Kyrie Irving’s history with Team USA is decorated with accolades. At just 18, he helped secure gold at the 2010 FIBA Americas U-18 Championship. Four years later, he was part of the senior team that won the FIBA World Cup in Spain, where he was named tournament MVP.
His crowning achievement came at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he won gold alongside a star-studded roster featuring Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Carmelo Anthony. That cemented his legacy as one of the national team’s standout performers.