*EXCLUSIVE*

COMEBACK SEASON

Kyrie Irving’s only just started his nba career, but he’s already had to make an improbable comeback after a foot injury cut his college career short.

Kyrie Irving only played 11 games in his college basketball career, spending most of his one and only season at Duke University sidelined with a severe toe injury. Many called him out for his decision to enter the NBA Draft in 2011 for capitalising on a weak draft, claiming he wouldn’t be a Top 5 pick in the 2012 Draft if he had chosen to stay at college for an additional year.

But nonetheless, Melbourne born Irving was chosen as the #1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and has set out to make an impact in his maiden NBA season. After a short stay at Duke, Irving had little choice but to leap out of the gates and silence those who called his 11 games at Duke far too small a sample size to deem him worthy of the #1 pick.

His debut was a mixed bag of results. Irving netted only 6 points on disappointing 16.6% shooting, but managed to rack up 7 assists. Kyrie’s managed to lift his game since then, holding an average of around 16 points and 5 assists per game. Not exactly the kind of numbers that set the world on fire, but enough to confirm that Kyrie Irving is for real, and he is here to play.

It hasn’t been easy to complete this ‘comeback’ for Irving, with critics already pointed to embarrassing blocked shots against the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge and Marcus Camby and questioned his ability to get to the rim. But Kyrie maintains his confidence in himself with the same level-headed assurance that got him to this point.

"I think everybody in the NBA feels they have confidence to get by anybody. I don't think anybody would be successful if they didn't have the confidence to be at this level. I left college because I had the attitude that I could be successful at this level." Irving has stated. Maybe he can’t get by everybody yet, but Irving’s already gotten past the doubters that didn’t believe he was for real and is well on his way to a nice long NBA career. Watch this space.