kyrie irving
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving dribbles past Minnesota Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng during the first quarter at Target Center, Minneapolis, Feb. 14, 2017. Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving denied a scientifically-proven fact when he said the Earth is flat, and that we (you and I and everyone else the planet) are being deceived to believe that it is not.

During a podcast appearance with teammates Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson on “Road Trippin’ with RJ & Channing,” Jefferson decided to talk about whether aliens exist in the universe, which eventually led the hosts to say at some point that Earth is round.

Irving, however, begged to differ and stated the contrary, at least three times.

“This is not even a conspiracy theory,” he said. “The Earth is flat.”

Irving’s comments have gone viral on the internet, making him one of the most discussed people in the United States on Friday. But who is Kyrie Irving beyond what you know of his game? Here are seven things you should know about the NBA star.

He was born in Australia

Irving was born on March 23, 1992 in Melbourne, Australia. His father, Drederick Irving, moved there to play professional basketball for the Australian league. Irving holds dual citizenship and left a chance to play for Australia in the 2012 London Olympics to concentrate on his attempt to make it to the U.S. national team in 2016.

He attended Duke University

The 24-year-old played basketball through high school and enrolled in Duke University, playing for their team from where he entered the NBA draft to be picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Reports say Irving promised his father he will graduate from the university.

He has a number of achievements under his belt

After being picked by the Cavaliers, Irving won the 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He is also a two-time All-Star — as well as the 2014 All-Star MVP. He was a part of the U.S. national team that won the gold at 2014’s FIBA World Cup, where he was again named MVP. He also helped Team USA win the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

His dad thinks he could be a journalist

In an interview with Nike, Irving’s father said if his son wasn't playing basketball professionally, he would have been a journalist. Not ruling out any such possibility, he said he sees his son as a journalist, sports analyst or coaching kids in the future.

He has a famous godfather

Irving’s godfather is former NBA point guard Rod Strickland, who played for a number of teams including the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards and others.

He has shoes named after him

Nike revealed a new signature shoe called the KYRIE 1 in 2014 to honor Irving. The Nike Kyrie 3 “Team Red” released on Jan. 7 this year, the latest result of the collaboration between the sporting company and the NBA star.

He has broken the internet with his earth-is-flat comment

Irving’s views on the Earth have released a barrage of comments and memes across social media. Here are some tweets about the Cavaliers point guards scientific arguments:

RELATED STORIES
Australia Basketball