Kyrie Irving is an easy target for media clickbait fodder.
His first name alone will spark an eruption on Twitter, and most of the time it’s in relation to something “unusual” that he’s done or said.
Kyrie’s most recent dilemma involved the promotion of a controversial documentary. He paid a heavy price for his decision, which consisted of an eight-game, unpaid suspension, a hefty $500,000 donation to anti-discrimination groups and a bevy of other penalties that felt excessive.
But once his suspension ended, the situation settled down and the media is focused solely on his basketball performance.
Yet there are those who are waiting for his next stumble. Actually, they’re thirsting for it because it will drive site traffic.
Outside of these groups, the Kyrie coverage is pretty sparse. That’s unfortunate because he’s doing some great things off the court that should be discussed in the mainstream.
Last year Irving bought George Floyd’s family a house. In the past, he’s also paid the tuition for HBCU students, supported social justice and Native American causes, bought Thanksgiving meals for those in need and donated $1 million to WNBA players.
Recently, he’s done more of the same, but most haven’t been paying attention because it lacks clickbait appeal.
Kyrie is currently in discussions with a Black-owned sneaker company, SIA Collective. This comes two weeks after Nike cut ties with the 7x All-Star.
In October, Kyrie donated $50,000 on the GoFundMe page for Jaheim McMillan, a Black teen from Mississippi shot and killed by police despite being unarmed and having his hands in the air when he was shot.
Earlier this month he donated $22,000 on the GoFundMe page of Destiny Thompson, a sophomore at Howard University, so she could continue her education.
In November, he donated $115,000 to the families of Shanquella Robinson and Devin Chandler. Robinson died while on vacation with friends in Mexico. But thanks to social media, more details about her fateful trip were revealed and now her family can truly pursue justice for her.
Chandler was one of the three Virginia football players that were shot and killed by former UVA football player Christopher Jones in a case that shocked the nation and devastated the college football community.
Some, especially Black media like Rolling Out and Etan Thomas, are highlighting and celebrating his charitable efforts.
The best thing about these generous donations is that Kyrie doesn’t seek attention for them. He doesn’t shout “Look at me! I did this!”
He doesn’t do it for brownie points or to put the spotlight on himself.
He does it with honesty, sincerity and a big heart, qualities he’s always had but that often get overshadowed by some of his other antics.
There’s nothing wrong with taking Kyrie to task in a professional manner. But that same energy should be applied to celebrate his generosity too.
So keep up the great work Kyrie. We see you.
