With legends like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry, the NBA offers us a world-class showcase of superstar talent. Every NBA fan evaluates “superstar” differently–it boils down to opinions on talent, accolades, playstyle, and many subjective factors. However, the term loses significance when we casually attach it to any player who pops for a flashy three-pointer or runs down the lane for a vicious slam dunk.
NBA’s four premier superstars – Brad Botkin, CBS Sports
The most controversial center of the “superstar” debate is Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving. In an interview for Bleacher Report, Taylor Rooks qualified Irving as a superstar among LeBron, Durant, and Curry; immediately, NBA Twitter responded viciously to Rooks. Therefore, we must ask the following question: is Kyrie Irving a superstar?
Our Criteria for Superstardom
- Earned multiple top 3 (or top 5 if severely tight competition) MVP honors
- Selected to multiple All-NBA teams, with at least one All-NBA First-Team selection
- Consistently chosen for All-Star teams
- Led teams to deep playoff runs, or at least led weaker teams to the first-round
- Esteemed as a natural talent and leader
Cavs selected Irving 1st overall in the 2011 NBA Draft – Mary Schmitt Boyer, Cleveland.com
Kyrie’s Career before LeBron James
In the 2011 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers chose Irving with the first overall pick. Right off the bat, Irving flashed his poise for efficient scoring: he averaged 18.5 PPG (points per game) on 56.6% true shooting–3.9% better than league average. Irving would then earn Rookie of the Year honors and introduce himself as as an up-and-coming star.
Irving would improve on his rookie season and earn All-Star nomination in 2012 and 2013. In the 2013 Rising Stars Challenge, Irving infamously pulled a demonic cross-over on Brandon Knight. Ever since, fans galore his ball-handling.
Kyrie’s Career with LeBron
During the 2014 off-season, NBA legend LeBron James joined the Cavs, making Irving the clear second option. Regardless, the James-Irving duo, along with Kevin Love, carried the Cavaliers to the 2nd seed during the 2014-15 season. Individually, Irving’s contribution to the Cavs’ renewed winning culture earned him All-NBA third team honors.
Irving’s iconic shot over Curry in the 2016 Finals – Sam Amick, USA Today
In the playoffs, the duo stormed through the Eastern Conference on their path to the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, Irving suffered a knee injury in his first Finals game, so the Cavs eventually lost.
Irving significantly elevated his game in the 2016 post-season, where he averaged 25.2 PPG on 57.4% true shooting. His elevated play helped shoulder the Cavs to a hard-fought victory in the 2016 NBA Finals. Irving’s coldest moment in the series was his clutch three-pointer against reigning MVP Steph Curry, sealing the deal.
Irving’s numbers in the 2017 season resembled his 2016 playoff numbers; although the duo once again took the Cavs to the Finals, they lost to the overpowered Warriors.
Kyrie’s Career after LeBron
Irving with the Celtics – Andrew Sharp, Sporting News
As Irving received more fanfare, his ego equally worsened. Irving left the Cavaliers for the Boston Celtics because he wanted to be a locker-room leader. Unfortunately, he failed.
Despite Irving’s absence for the whole 2018 playoffs, new draftees Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the Celtics against James’ Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals. The young duo’s success created friction regarding Irving’s leadership of the Celtics. Moreover, Irving’s healthier play during the 2019 season couldn’t even help the Celtics progress past the second round as the Celtics lost to the Bucks in 5.
Unsurprisingly, Irving divorced the Celtics for the Nets, but his tenure with the Nets has also been embroiled in controversy. While he did earn 2021 All-NBA Third team honors for his efficient scoring, Irving only played 29 games with the Nets this past season
because of the vaccine mandate. Furthermore, Irving plays second fiddle to Kevin Durant like he did with LeBron James in Cleveland; clearly, Irving can’t lead.
Irving with the Nets – Rohan Nadkarni, Sporting News
So…is Kyrie a superstar?
Absolutely, not! Irving’s early career in Cleveland promised the prospects of a scoring finesser, but the main successes of his career all primarily resulted because of LeBron James. Irving’s career is an overexaggeration of his shot against Curry. Irving has never earned any All-NBA First Team honors nor placed top 5 in MVP voting, and he never led a team as the main leader or lone star. Unless Irving somehow reshapes his character, he doesn’t have any prospect toward superstardom. Until then, stop overrating him.
09/21/2022 at 1:20 PM
I’m not well versed in the world of basketball stardom, but my mom is an avid basketball fan, so I’m no stranger to “who is actually a good player” debates. Even so, I like your analysis of Irving’s career and the things he has done (or not done) that feed into that idea of superstardom and whether he deserves such a title. Personally, I think this “superstar” debate is recurrent and never ending in basketball– and the sports world in general. I enjoyed learning a little bit more about the criteria for superstardom.
09/21/2022 at 1:25 PM
It was interesting to hear how “superstar” is such a subjective phrase that really only depends on what fan chooses to believe. I really like how you laid out the requirements and it was interesting to see that many players who are thought be stars don’t even meet half of them. It truly depends on a fan’s bias and preferences. Overall, I like how you broke down Irving’s career because as someone who does not watch a lot of basketball, I could clearly tell that Irving piggy-backed off of LeBron James. What really caught my attention was how Irving’s superstar status came from a single shot that people over-hyped!
09/21/2022 at 1:27 PM
I had heard of Kyrie Irving before, but I do not follow basketball that much so I did not realize what a controversial figure he was. Do you think that people are starting to realize that he is overrated? Or is he still being glamorized in the media? It seems like he can perform well, but not to the level of superstar. I think the media’s reaction to Irvings shot against Curry is definitely interesting. I love your analysis on the situation, it was very clear to understand and factual.